


The Demon Within

by Lord_Cain



Category: RWBY, 呪術廻戦 | Jujutsu Kaisen (Manga)
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:13:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 33,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28372947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lord_Cain/pseuds/Lord_Cain
Summary: "Cruelty is a matter of perspective." Yang thought she knew what that meant, but seeing and believing are two different things.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1

**_The Demon Within_ **

_A Jujutsu Kaisen / RWBY crossover._

* * *

Yang Xiao Long was an adventurer.

She knew this from when she was little, hearing the tales that Summer and Tai used to tell her and Ruby when they were little. Even after Summer died, she still remembered the tales and with it came a longing to explore and see the world, see what she held and the natural beauty contained within. She was no fool however. She knew that in this Grimm infested world there would be perils to deal with. As a Huntress in training, she was well on her way to beat down anything that came her way. So what went wrong?

It wasn't the near arrest after trashing Junior's club which, in hindsight, was an extremely dumb move on her part. It wasn't the close split of her team her first year thanks to the reveal of Blake's Faunus heritage. No…she knew exactly where it all went wrong. The day she picked up that stupid crystal and met the biggest asshole she has ever known.

A dark chuckle echoed in the back of her mind. _**"Don't you think you have bigger problems**_ _ **than**_ _ **complaining about me?"**_

Whatever retort Yang was going to give was interrupted by a hand grabbing a fistful of her hair and giving her a harsh yank, earning a muffled cry through her gag as she was dragged across the floor onto the stage. The sounds of cheering reached her ears first before her eyes caught sight of the audience filled with White Fang members. Her arms were tied behind her and while she could possibly get out with some effort, she knew she would not get very far nor would her team. Yang was pulled toward the middle of the stage where an impromptu beheading block was fashioned, manned by none other than the second biggest asshole she has ever known in her life.

Adam Taurus.

Pain coursed through her head as her captor tossed her onto the bench, taking a few of her hairs with it. Being restrained as she was, she could only growl as hands strapped her down and positioned her head in prime cutting position. To her right, she saw the rest of her team also being dragged out similarly restrained and gagged. Her eyes caught the amber eyes of her partner who returned the look, her eyes filled with sorrow and regret. They were going to die here and there was nothing anybody could do about it. Strung up for all the world to see, being made an example of for those who would cross the White Fang. A foreign feeling of sadistic pleasure coursed through her as the parasite within her took pleasure in what was going on. He did not need to do anything to help. There was only one way she could see getting out of this but it would involve crossing a very dark line.

"BROTHERS AND SISTERS OF THE WHITE FANG!" Adam's voice boomed out over the roar of the crowd. In her elevated position, she could see the crowed that had gathered. She would be the first to die, they had told her. Because she was Blake's partner, her head was going to be the first to roll. Then Ruby. Then Weiss. All the while Blake would be made to watch and suffer for betraying the White Fang before her head follows.

Rage courses through her and her arms flexed in their restraints and she started to struggle. She did not want to die here! She wanted to go out on her own terms! _"I don't want to die! I don't want to die!"_ She repeated to herself like a mantra. She had plans for herself. She was going to explore the world, make a name for herself. She was going to fight in the Vytal festival next year and take the champion's title! She wasn't going to die here in a show execution! And yet, as bound as she was with her head on the chopping block, she could not find a way out…except one.

The blonde prisoner was interrupted from her internal debate by Adam grabbing onto her hair and yanking her head up. Her eyes moved over to him and narrowed while a throaty growl escaped from her lips. The action caused Adam to smirk. "Oh? Still some fight left in you? Perhaps you have some final words before you die." There was laughing all around at the mockery being directed to her. The hand that held her head released and moved down to undo her gag, her jaw working the stiffness out from the long time it was in. A microphone was placed near her mouth held by the redheaded swordsman. "Please share…" There was more laughter around her. They hated her so much, hated humans so much they were willing to do this, hated traitors so much. So much hate that the being inside her reveled in it.

And yet…as she looked at the microphone being offered to her, was she really willing to cross that line? Yang knew full well what will happen if she lets him out. Her eyes trailed over to the rest of her team looking at her with various emotions in those eyes on them and as she stared into the hopelessness she sees, she knew she had no other choice.

"Yeah…I got some last words." As she speaks, she can see the mocking faces of those who came to watch their execution. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Sukuna…" She paused for a moment as she heard muttered confusion of the White Fang near her. "Sukuna, kill them all and save my team."

OoOoOoO

" _Kill them all and save my team."_

Those words. Those blissful words echoed through his hosts mind. A feral grin appeared on Sukuna's lips as he sat upon his throne. It took several months for her to get in deep enough trouble for her to break her promise to never release him but he was patient. Now the time has come to indulge in his vice. He wasn't quite thrilled to have a female host, however, as his current "body" reflects his host excluding his physical traits. Yang had called him a demon the first time she had laid eyes on him and he had laughed in her face. She wasn't too far off the mark.

The cursed spirit's attention was drawn back to the outside world by the hiss of his captor and the sudden drawback of the microphone. His view of the outside world was restricted to only what she saw through her own eyes and hear what she heard but it was infinitely better than not being able to.

He could see Adam look around, trying to see if there was any kind of threat coming with her words, that maybe reinforcements were coming. Yang only had seconds more before Adam sought to remove her head from her neck. A chuckle came from his lips as he saw him throw the microphone away and draw his sword and angle it in the proper position as he can feel his host release control to him.

" **Time to get to work."**

OoOoOoOoO

The crowd roared in a blood frenzy as the sound pounded in her ears. This was it. She was entrusting her life, her team's lives to a sociopath. The blonde brawler kept her head down, her eyes screwed shut as she heard Adam's blade unsheathe. She knew how to give Sukuna access to her body, the process almost instinctual to her by now. Tears started to swell in her eyes as she opened the path. She could deal with the aftermath. All that mattered was getting out of this ali…

Yang's eyes snapped open as she found herself back in the familiar landscape dotted with skulls, the entire sky bathed in an eternal night. She looked around, finding herself laid back on his so called throne. This…this was his territory, his domain. A place that he had carved out of her mind when he invaded her in that cave all those months ago. A shaky breath escaped her as she settled back into the chair. There was nothing she could do now but wait.

But the worst part of all of this, she thought as she heard the distinctive sound of a blade snapping, was that she was able to see and hear everything that was happening out there.

OoOoOoOoO

The crowd grew silent as they struggled to process what just happened. They witnessed Adam raise up his sword and in one swift strike, brought it down in a perfect arc to remove the Huntress's head from her shoulders. That's what should have happened and yet, as all of the assembled Faunus gazed upon a broken blade, it wasn't a surprise they were confused as to what happened.

Adam himself looked down upon his beloved Wilt, also confused as to why the red blade broke. This was one of the strongest blades created, built to withstand his own semblance and able to slice through Aura. The girl tied up below him he knew of her Semblance. Her strength gained from the pain given by her opponent's attacks but she did not have the capability of stopping AND snapping his blade, so what did this?

His attention shifted down as the girl shifted, the ropes creaking in protest at the movement and her hair swaying from the movement of her head as he examined his captive. However as he inspected the girl, his eyes caught sight of a familiar glint of red metal, being held by a pair of fingers. The sight was such an impossibility it took him a minute for it to register in his mind but when it did his eyes widened behind his Grimm mask. Instantly those eyes moved to the blonde's back and saw that her wrists were still restrained.

Wilt dropped from his hands as he struggled to understand what was going on. Her wrists were still restrained and yet, his eyes can plainly see a THIRD arm peeking out from her side holding the broken remains of his sword. His feet took him back a couple steps as his head swerved back to her head and he froze.

Two pairs of red eyes graced his vision.

It wasn't just the four eyes that stilled him. She looked completely different from a moment ago. In addition to the extra eyes, tattoos now lined her face and it framed the most sadistic smile he had ever seen. The ropes binding her snapped as she flexed herself, the full view of her four arms coming into view. He couldn't move. For some reason, he felt soul crushing fear as he stared upon her even as the girl turned and focused her four eyes on him, a cruel smirk gracing her face.

" **Do you fear death Adam?"**

The last thing Adam saw was her clawed hand reaching for his face before it exploded in her hands.

OoOoOoO

The body thudded to the floor as Sukuna licked the blood off of his fingers while two of his hands rubbed the wrists of the limbs that were bound. It felt good being free and he was going make the most of it before that bitch shoved him back in. His eyes took in the scene before him as he stepped away from Adam's body. He extended his arms as he stretched, enjoying the way the body felt as he did various stretches before ripping off the tattered remains of her jacket but leaving the tube top on, thereby exposing the new tattoos that lined itself on the skin.

Say what you will about Yang's body. The girl knew how to keep herself fit.

The Faunus assembled before him stood frozen in fear. He knew they would stay in place for a while due to his natural aura terrorizing their souls so he had a moment to observe his charges.

They were on their knees, legs and wrists bound like hers was and mouth gagged and their eyes wide with horror at what they were witnessing. Behind their, their handlers were also in a state of shock, frozen in place. **"You three…** " He addressed them. **"You stay right where you are. I do not need to worry about you moving around all the time. Understood?"** He failed to get an answer out of them and he scowled. **"I said…"** The ancient spirit wove thin blades of energy in front of him and shot them toward the three fang members. Their bodies exploded in a mess of blood and guts, the red color painting the wall behind them. The action shocked the three out of their stupor and looked behind them, their eyes widening even more at the mess and even earned a whimper out of a couple of them. **"Do. Not. Move."** He punctuated this with a couple more shots, cracking, but not destroying, the wall behind them.

He smirked when they turned back and nodded, keeping themselves still as he turned back toward his audience. It was time for a bit of fun and he doubted his host would have any objections, chuckling a bit at the silence from her. He knew she could see and hear everything he does.

What kind of guest would he be if he did not entertain his host by tormenting her captors?

To start with, Sukuna started suppressing his oppressive aura, watching as the walking corpses starting to regain themselves. **"Are you paying attention brats?"** Two of his eyes glanced to her right to see them staring at her and he gave them a smirk. " **I'm going to show you three something neat."** His gaze turned back toward the rabble as they started to regain their wits, their voices starting to raise. Nobody has tried to leave yet but he wasn't going to give them a chance. Two of his hands came up and formed a triangle pattern with his pinky, index and thumbs bent toward each other.

" _ **Domain Expansion**_." As if a switch has been flicked, all sound instantly went quiet in the room, an action not gone unnoticed by everybody as they stilled. It only lasted a few seconds before a rumbling sound started increasing in volume. The smile on his face grew just a little be wider as the well-lit area suddenly turned as black as night. _**"Malevolent Shrine!"**_

The instant he finished the last syllable, an eruption of water exploded from under him as a massive temple sprung up from the water, raising him and the girls up above the now terrified Faunus. As the water mist started to settle, the cursed spirit allowed his sinister aura to spread out once more. He wanted fear to spread, wanted his victims to be horrified as he gutted them and nothing helps more than standing on a temple whose base is littered with skulls. Sukuna himself, now dressed in a loose kimono, stood up at the top of the Mistral-styled temple. He let his hands, previously crossed across his chest, spread out about him as his voice boomed. _**"Rejoice mongrels! For you shall be the first sacrifices upon this bloody throne!"**_

The instant the last syllable left his lips, over half of the Faunus erupted in a bloody mess of body parts and gore. He did not wait for the red mist to settle as he leapt off the floor and right into the middle of the remaining screaming mongrels. One of his clawed hands reach out and disemboweled the nearest figure while another tore into the back of their neck as they tried to flee, grabbed ahold of their spine and ripped it out. His feet did not keep him still and he kept moving, his other two hands grabbing onto two and crushing their heads like grapefruits. He loved this sensation, ending somebody's life with his own hands and feeling their blood run down his hands, something Yang cannot hope to understand. He was patient however and he has all the time in the world to get her to see his side of things. Or break her down mentally and force a takeover of her body for good.

Whatever works.

He allowed himself a moment to look within himself back in his mental throne. She was still where he left her, her eyes closed and lips pursed to a thin line. She could hear everything he was doing, the sound of every crunch, the sound of every death cry and yet no tears leaked from her eyes. Yang knew what she was doing when she gave him the reigns and he could see she had steeled her heart. Not well mind you, judging by the slight tremors of her hands but he was impressed at her determination…for a human.

The sound of a gunshot brought his attention back to the slaughter as the feeling of something impacting his skull but bounced harmlessly off. His eyes trailed the bullet's path and saw a female Faunus a few week away, her hands shaking at the gun it held. A chuckle escaped his lips as his tongue licked his lips. Dropping the limb and body in his hands he started making his way over to the trembling woman, not even flinching at the increasingly desperate shots pinging harmlessly off of his body. However despite trying to escape, he had quickly caught up to her, one of his hands grabbing the gun and her hand as she fell onto the floor, him meeting her path down.

" **I was wondering when someone would get the guts to start shooting.** " He started increasing his strength more and more as the metal then flesh started crunching in his hands, earning screams from his captive as he slowly crushed her hand.

" _Sukuna."_ Said spirit paused at the sudden voice from within him. _"You're wasting time."_

" **Oh, she finally speaks."**

" _Cut the bull Sukuna. I told you to kill them, not torture them."_

" **Oh come now Yang…"** One of his hands shot forward and embedded itself into the Faunus's chest, grabbing her heart and ripped it out. **"You know me well enough by now that you shouldn't be surprised by this."**

" _No,_ _I'm not."_ He let out a scoff at her tone. Honestly if she didn't want to deal with him, she should just let him kill her and take over her body. _"But we are still in hostile territory and these are not the only Faunus here. You need to get them out of there."_

" **And how do you suppose I do that?"** He stood up after shaking the loose stuff off his hand and looked around. There were only a few still standing that had tried, and failed, to get out and was now just trembling in fear at the end of his Domain. **"I'm not a taxi."**

" _Sailships."_ A scowl made his way on his face, getting annoyed at what she was implying. _"We were brought here by the airships,_ _and_ _I'm betting some are still here."_

" **What makes you think…"**

" _Blake can fly them. She once told me she was trained on them and flew them a couple times. Get her and them there and she can fly all of us out."_ There was a pause. _"What, did you think I was going to have YOU pilot it?_ _Come on Sukuna, I'm insane for letting you out but I'm not putting my friends lives in your hands more than I am already."_

A deep bellowing laugh erupted from his gut, letting his cursed energy erupt from him and letting Dismantle spread out and cut down the rest of those still alive baring the three girls still on his throne. Once he confirmed the last life extinguished, he let his Domain fall down around him, the blood and gore and body parts reappearing on the floor. The entire scene was a gory mess and even Team RWB- was not spared the splatter, although theirs were mostly on the side and back.

By the time he got back onto the stage, his throne had disappeared and everything had returned to normal. As he approached the quivering girls, he knelt by them, at least thankful they hadn't tried to run. Three of his hands reached out and pulled off their gags, not quite being gentle. **"Blake."** Said girl jumped at being addressed. **"The brat tells me you can pilot one of those airships. That true?"** When she didn't answer right away, one of his hands came up and he snapped his finger, with a little extra oomph to it, not enough to hurt but enough to feel like she got dunked in very cold water. **"Well? I have little patience and I will leave you behind."**

He couldn't, of course, but they didn't need to know that.

It took a bit for Blake to regain her composure but did answer with a yes. He gave them a nod and started ripping apart their binds. **"I'll go ahead to clear the path. I expect you three to stay close."**

"Where's…" He turned to look at the sister that seemed to finally decide to speak. "Where's my sister? Where is Yang?" Each word seemed to help clear her mind and she ended her question with a slight growl.

He gave her a smirk and tapped his head. **"She's right here safe and sound. Practically begged me to save your lives. You should be thankful I'm in such a good mood right now."**

"Give her back! Give me back my sister!"

Ruby attempted to punch him but she didn't even get close to him as one of his hands shot out and grabbed her throat, lifting her up off the ground causing the redhead to choke at the action. **"Listen well brat, my generosity only lasts for so long so if you want to get out of this alive, get behind me and let me clear the way."** Releasing his hold on the small brat, he turned and started walking toward the entrance, rubbing at the inside of his ear at Yang's shouting. _**"Relax, I wasn't going to hurt her."**_

" _That's not the damn point! I told you…"_

" _ **I needed them to snap out of it. I'm not going to drag them all the way back."**_ He looked back, his eyes peeking through Yang's golden tresses. Indeed the three have managed to pick themselves up and have fallen in step with him. _**"See? Worked perfectly."**_ He chuckled a bit at Yang's growl. She'll get over it.

As he reached the door, he opened it a bit and peaked out. Nobody was in the vicinity as of yet, his Domain entrapping everybody inside and ensuring no sound made it out to alert anybody but it would not last for long. Somebody was bound to check on this place. He supposed it was a good thing Yang had stopped him, had he taken any longer somebody would have noticed something and he would have more of a fight on his hands, which in turn may have make his efforts at protecting the three just a tad bit difficult.

Seeing the coast was clear, he let his hand signal the all clear and they headed out. He knew of the general direction as to where the landing pads where. Even as Yang herself was bound and gagged and given the rough treatment on the way out of the airship, he still had a good sense of direction. Traveling in the dark was not a problem for him as he kept to the side roads, dispatching any unlucky Faunus they met on the way. The cursed spirit kept an eye on his charges as they travelled. Thankfully, despite their near execution, they still had a good head on their shoulders and kept quiet as they kept pace with him.

They made no time at all in nearing the perimeter of the landing area for these weird ships. Honestly the first time he laid eyes on them, he wondered what the hell the designers were thinking when fashioning these things but now wasn't the time. As he observed the area, it wasn't as busy as it would be in the day time but there were people milling about, some loading and unloading in a couple ships The area wasn't well lit but considering the area was composed entirely of Faunas who had night vision it wasn't a problem for them.

But neither was it a problem for him.

A hand that touched one of his left arms brought his attention to Blake as she moved to get a closer look. "We want that one." She whispered pointing to one that was being loaded. "The ships are usually fueled before loading so it should have a full tank, should get us to Haven.

" **Start moving to it when the first body drops, I'll meet you there."**

He did not wait for a response before he started rushing forward, his target the White Fang member coming out of the airship, quickly approaching him and not stopping as he passed him by, grabbing his head as he continued running forward, quickly tossing his captive into another grunt who was coming out of a nearby open warehouse, the both of them grunting as they collided and were sent flying back into the building. He let loose a couple of his Dismantle strikes in their directions, his ears catching the satisfying sound of it connecting with a messy splat.

His next target was a grunt who was taking a smoke break off to the side whose head was already turned in his direction. He pushed the power to his legs to sprint the distance, grabbing his head and crushing it in one fell swoop. Even as the body fell down, he grabbed one of the knives he had on him and quickly aimed and threw it to the upper levels at a guard who had just come out of the second floor. Even as the blade flew in the air, he followed suit, flying through the air with a manic grin on his face as he once again indulged in his little vice.

Really he had to thank Yang for this. Letting him loose in the middle of hostile territory and giving him carte blanche on killing anybody but three people was a small price to pay for such enjoyment. His feet landed on the walkway just as the workers within cried out at the sudden intrusion.

They didn't even last a minute before the walls were painted with their blood.

On his way out of the room, his eyes caught sight of his own reflection and he paused, still not quite used to the sight of himself being in a woman's body, even one caked in blood as he was now. After being stuck in her body for six months without being able to taste fresh air, he wasn't about to give this up, not without a fight anyway. He stepped outside, letting his four eyes scan his surroundings. The little brat and her friends managed to make it to the ship and he saw Blake at the helm, looking over the controls. Seeing as there were no more threats in the vicinity, he jumped off the walkway and landed with a thud on the ground before making his way over to the ship and giving his legs a boost before jumping up onto the deck of the ship, giving the occupants a startle as the ship rocked slightly at the impact.

" **Well? Is the ship fueled?"** He allowed himself to stretch his arms. He haven't had a good workout like this in ages and it felt so good. **"Can you take this thing to Haven?"**

"Yeah, ships ready." Came the response from the kitty. "We were just waiting for you."

" **Hah! Were you now? Well don't let me keep you."** Dismissing them with a wave of one of his hands, he plopped on down on a nearby seat and settled in. It was time to have a little talk with his host.

OoOoOoOoOoO

Would it have been better to die if the alternative was making a deal with a pyscho killer that also had control over her body?

From the moment she gave control over to him, Yang had been asking herself that question even as she heard the sounds of the dying all around her, the squelching sounds of lives being ended by her own hands…well his hands but still she had let him out so she was just as guilty. Sure her team was alive but at what cost? Forgetting about straining the personal relationships she had, there was no doubt in her mind the massacre that just happened would quickly be discovered. She wasn't sure if they knew she would be to blame or all of them. If, by some method, they discovered all of those deaths were by her hand, she would become White Fang target number one, even higher than the Schnees.

A deep sigh left her lips as she settled back into the bone throne of his. He had settled in a while ago and she couldn't hear anything but the ambience of the surrounding area and the hum of the airship. She was at least thankful that Sukuna had done what she had asked. While granted he could have killed her team before she could switch back, he was at least a man of honor. A throaty groan escaped her as her head hit the back of her 'chair'.

How the hell was she going to explain this and not get locked up?

Suddenly she froze as a chill shot through her, all of her hair standing on end.

" **Well well..."** Her eyes traveled up to see Sukuna behind her, leaning against the back of the chair and a grin on his face. **"I hope you enjoyed the show brat."**

Yang stood up from the chair, keeping her eyes on the man as he walked around the throne. Unlike herself that was still clothed in her semi ruined clothes, Sukuna was dressed in a loose fitting robe, to fit his extra arms he once said, but what disturbed her, what always disturbed her was the skin he wore and the face he wore.

It was _her_ face that he wore.

It wasn't _her her_ but it was still disturbing to see. The base features were there sure. The rocking body, the full lush hair, the confidant stance and the white pearls. What was different were the extra arms, the fingernails sharp and capable of ripping through skin as easily as a knife through butter. Her eyes caught his teeth and the very clear fangs and the eyes…the eyes were the features that most unnerved her. Another pair of eyes were nestled beneath his normal set and the eyes were as red as her own. All in all it made her look like a demon possessing her. She hated it. He had said that he had no choice in the matter as he preferred his male form.

" **Oh? What's with that reaction?"** Yang realized only too late the growl that escaped her throat. **"You should be rejoicing. I did what you asked. I butchered the lot of them and saved your dear friends. Go on! Kneel and sing my praises!"** His eyes narrowed a bit in amusement but she could tell he was completely serious. **"Kneel for me."**

Her forehead ticked in annoyance. Arrogant man. Was Sukuna even a man? He had never shared much, if any, information about himself but she had her theories. "You know…I am grateful for you for saving my team and saving our hides." She took a few steps forward and ended up face to face with him. "You saved my life twice so far. I owe you big time but…" In a swift motion, she reared her fist back, "LIKE HELL I'M GOING TO BOW TO YOU!" and threw it forward with all of her might.

Only for it to hit nothing but air.

She stumbled forward a bit as she caught herself, blinking in confusion as to why she didn't hit anything, only to freeze when she felt him reappear behind her. She felt him grab the back of her jacket. **"You forget Yang…"** Yang was lifted off of the ground when Sukuna started to spin her around. **"I've been watching you fight for months!"**

Sukuna let go of her and she was sent flying out from his throne, screams erupting from her mouth as she flew not across but up and up and up. The screams tapered off as she reached the height of her ascension only to start again as gravity took ahold of her and she started falling down. Her arms started flailing as she fell, her body tumbling as she fell.

A loud thud echoed throughout the space as Yang landed on one of the massive ribs that was part of the landscape. A groan escaped her lips as she felt the pain of falling from a high height without the actual physical damage. _"Oh gods it hurts…it hurts so bad."_ She looked up when she heard a thud, only to see Sukuna land in front of her.

" **Looks like you have more bite** **than** **I thought you did."**

"Fuck you."

" **No thanks…"** Yang yelped as he kicked her off and landed in the water. **"I prefer mature women."** He followed her down, landing with a splash as Yang recovered from her second fall. He took a nearby seat, one that happened to be Yang's back who yelped at the sudden action. **"Let's get one thing straight brat. I don't like this situation anymore then you do. You're stuck with me and I'm stuck with you."**

"You would be stuck in that cave if it wasn't me."

" **And I saved your ass from being chewed out. I say it evens out."** A sigh escaped his lips. **"You're a troublesome woman you know that?"**

"I've been known to be a pain in the ass sometimes yeah."

" **You are interesting however I can tell you that."** Sukuna stood up from Yang's back and started to head back to his seat. **"We're getting close to Haven so you can take your body back now."**

The blonde herself stood up and stared at his retreating form. He was really going to return without a fuss? He was in a good mood now so maybe…just maybe she can get his cooperation.

"How about a deal?" The words came out before she could stop them. Sukuna stopped and turned around, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. "A deal." She repeated, gaining a bit more strength in her voice.

" **You? Make a deal with me?"**

"Yeah. I figured we can both help each other out."Sukuna stared at her, obviously wondering if she was bullshitting but after a couple minutes, let out a chuckle and sat down, motioning her to continue. "The way I figure it, the cat is out of the bag now. There is no way I can keep you a secret anymore, not from my team, or anybody they talk to. Right now I need to do some major damage control."

" **That's not your only concern is it though?"**

Yang let out a sigh, suddenly feeling many ages older. "No it isn't. What I've done, what you've done, what we have done. The White Fang is not going to let this go. If their leadership has any competent leaders, I have no doubt they will find out what happened here. They may not understand that it was you that killed them all but it's my face they will know."

" **And they will want revenge. Even if it's not all of them, that Adam guy was a hotshot wasn't** **he** **? He had followers."**

She nodded. "From my limited understanding of Faunus politics, Adam Taurus was once considered for leadership of the Fang, being beaten out by Sienna Khan. Even if somehow they did not find out it was me, killing a Huntsman and capturing four trainees, Weiss Schnee being one of them, the news would have spread like wildfire. They would know we were there and that we survived. You do the math."

" **So spit it out. What do you want?"**

"I want your protection." It was a bitter thing to say but she had no choice. "For me and those I am close to."

" **So let me get this straight, you want me to fight your battles for you?"** He sneered at that. **"And here I thought you were better than that."**

"Not…not like that, I…" Yang let out a sigh, wondering again if this was worth it. "One thing I have quickly learned in training to be a Huntress is that there is always something stronger than me. I almost died back there, hell I SHOULD have died if it wasn't for you and I do not want to be put in that position again, but this is not going to stop me from getting stronger. I WILL become a Huntress. I WILL make my mark on history and fucking damn it all I am NOT going to let the White Fang or the Grimm get in the way of that!" During her declaration she started walking forward, her boots sloshing the water as she approached her guest, getting within his space and poking her finger on his chest.

"You butchered the White Fang and declared war on them, dragging me and us into it. The least you can do is the help me out if I ever find myself with my back against the wall. I don't expect you to fight all of my battles for me but help me out once in a while."

The grin returned on Sukuna's face, setting back into his 'seat'. **"That sounds like a lot of good for you but what's in it for me hmm? What do I get out of it?"**

"You mean besides being able to go on a killing spree?" She let out a scoff. "In return for your help, I would be willing to let you out once in a while AS long as you behave yourself and I can take control back at any time I choose."

This time Sukuna stood up, meeting her face to face, keeping two of his arms crossed and the other two hands on his hips. He didn't say anything at first as he thought about it. **"Nope."**

Yang blinked at the sudden denial, watching as he turned around and jumped up back to his throne. He said no? She quickly followed him up by climbing up on the skulls. "What do you mean, no!?"

" **Exactly what I mean."** Now both sets of arms crossed each other as he settled into the chair. **"I'm not dumb Yang, this isn't the first time I made a contract with somebody."** Said blonde furrowed her eyebrows at the sudden new piece of information. **"Tell me, what is your definition of 'once in a while'?"**

"It means that if the situation allows it, I'll let you out to stretch your legs and for some fresh air."

" **Not good enough. I am not willing to settle for your mercy."**

"Then what do you propose."

The doppelganger stood up and stood right in front of Yang, their noses almost touching. **"Free reign. I come out when I want."**

"WHAT? I'm not going to agree to that!"

" **It's either that or I refuse to help at all."**

"You will die if I die!"

A finger wagged in Yang's face. **"Ah but you don't know that. It may be that when you die, I get to take over.** " Sukuna chuckled as Yang growled. He had her there. **"Are you really willing to take that chance?"** The cursed spirit let the blonde stew for a minute before settling back down in the chair. **"But I will agree to behave."**

"That means NO KILLING or maiming or hurting anyone not in self-defense."

" **You're really stuck up on this aren't you?"**

"Because unlike you, I still have a reputation to maintain and I'd rather not have to look behind my shoulders while being hunted for mass murder by either Vale or Atlas!"

" **Tsk, troublesome woman. Fine yes, I will behave."**

Yang narrowed her eyes at this. This was easy, too easy. "Why are you so agreeable with this? Do you really believe I'm going to keep up my end of the deal?"

" **I KNOW you will."** A grin carved itself onto his face, letting his four arms spread out. **"What do you think this place is? Go on, tell me what you think?"**

"It's…" She had to take a moment to think about this. "You called it your Domain. You never clarified what it was. I always thought it was created based off of your own twisted version of a paradise but then…" She remembered what he had done before she had to look away from outside. Somehow he recreated the Domain there. "You did something that prevented all those Faunus from leaving and I had originally thought it was some kind of semblance but then you killed a lot of them without even touching them."

" **Your Aura and Semblances are weak. A byproduct of a bygone age. This place was created by the sorcery** _ **Domain Expansion**_ **. It's what lets me take my time when killing and even gives me a little edge."**

" _Sorcery? What the hell is he talking about?"_

" **I am old Yang, I have lived for a very long time, a time** **when** **magic was more widely known and I have picked up a few things. One of those is a method of establishing a contract between two parties, a pact if you will.** **Lets** **two or more parties enter into a contract where breaking the agreement would result in…let's just say very unpleasant consequences. It's a way to keep both of us in check."**

Her mind was still reeling with this new information. Sukuna had never volunteered this much information about himself before, assuming it's even true and if it was, the implications of such was staggering but right now there was one part of it that she focused on. This Pact. If this was true, it would serve as to keep Sukuna in check but, according to him, it also applied to her but it still sounded unbelievable and she said as such.

" **It doesn't matter whether or not you believe me. That is my price for my help. Take it or leave it. Oh and you might want to hurry, the offer expires by the time we get to Haven which should be…pretty soon."**

And with that, Sukuna fell silent and laid back on his chair, her own face twisted back at her. It still freaked her out that Sukuna wore her own skin (even if it wasn't his choice), but he had her by the figurative balls. However, he had agreed to her original terms, only altering the deal to give him more freedom and even agreed to behave while he was out.

So what was the problem?

The problem was that she can't figure out how he could turn this around to his benefit. She was smart sure but she was not Weiss-smart. As far as she could tell, the terms benefited them both even though she would be forced to let him out whenever he wanted. She paused in her thoughts. She agreed to let him out whenever he wanted but she never set any conditions on it.

"I have a condition to you coming out."

Sukuna quirked an eyebrow at that. **"Do tell brat."**

"I'll let you out when you want yes but I will reserve the right to say no however…" She spoke before he could interrupt. "If I say no, I will have a good reason and will let you out at the earliest opportunity."

" **If you do not, the contract will punish you."**

"Yes, I understand."

" **Then you agree?"**

Yang closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to think of any reason to say no but despite scrambling her brain trying to think of one, she couldn't. Does she really need Sukuna's help in fighting off the White Fang? She had her friends beside her, family, and she had no doubt Ozpin would help and maybe even Atlas.

But then on the other hand, she was out of her league with an army hunting them. They managed to get the drop on a fully trained Huntsman that was keeping watch. Who's to say they couldn't find and execute her father? Who's to say they won't capture and torture Ruby to lure her out? She kept on imagining herself back on the chopping block, the executioners axe above her neck. As a Huntress, as any Huntsman or Huntress knows, death could come for her at any minute and there was always a possibility she could die in a ditch somewhere and she could end up like Summer, leaving behind grieving family. She had seen what it had done to her dad, to her sister and Brothers, she did not want them to repeat the experience.

"Alright Sukuna, I agree." Yang opened her eyes and had to resist the urge to jump back and suddenly seeing Sukuna face to face.

" **Good decision brat."**

She looked down as he extended his hand, her own taking it. However the instant she took it, pain shot through her arm before shooting through the rest of her body. Thankfully it only lasted for a few seconds but it was enough to _hurt_. She pulled back with a cry, her hand gripping her arm as the tingles subsided. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!"

" **Take a look."**

Yang nearly tore the remnants of her sleeve off. Her eyes widened at the now visible markings of a chain wrapping around her hand and arm. She looked up, ready to rip into him, when the words died on her lips as she saw him pull back the sleeves on his robe to reveal a similar pattern on his own skin.

" **Congratulations Yang, you are now bound by the vow."** A cruel grin now adorned his face. **"I look forward to the day you break it."**

OoOoOoOoO

Yang's eyes shot open and she shot up to her feet, her hands patting herself down as she sought to confirm to herself that this was her real body. Her clothes were in tatters and she was extremely bloody thanks to Sukuna's brutal executions. Her hands feeling around her stomach, going to her sides where the extra arms grew out of. They then went up, feeling around the edges of her eyes, confirming that the extra eyes were indeed gone.

"Ya-Yang?" Hearing someone call out her name, she turned around to the source and saw her sister standing nearby, a worried look on her face. "Is…is that you?"

She smiled, trying to reassuring her sister and the other members of her terrified team. "Yeah it's me Rubes. You don't have to worry about him."

" **For now."** Ruby and co jumped back at the sudden voice, a bit more freaked out that the sound came from her arm and the mouth that suddenly appeared there.

Yang quickly slapped a hand over the offending mouth. "Like I said…" She growled as she violently rubbed her hand into her arm. "You don't have to worry about him. He can't come out unless I allow him, although I can't stop him from doing shit like that."

"Look Yang…" This time Weiss spoke up, also keeping her distance from her. "I don't want to doubt your words but what happened over there…"

"I know what happened Weiss. Look are we close to Haven?"

"I radioed ahead." This time Blake answered, remaining at the controls as she piloted it. "Qrow is going to meet us at the landing platform. I told him the basics of what happened."

"Did you tell him about Sukuna?" Blake didn't answer, instead looking away, not quite wanting to answer. Honestly Yang didn't blame her. She would have in her position. "It's alright Blake, I knew this would happen."

"But what DID happen Yang?" This time Ruby pipped up, taking a step forward. "Who was that? WHAT was that?"

"It's complicated."

"YOU GREW TWO ARMS!" Now came the shouting, stepping forward a bit more. "YOU HAD FOUR EYES AND YOU KILLED EVERYONE THERE!"

"HE killed everyone there, not me."

"THAT'S NOT TH…"

"I think what Ruby is trying to say is that we're still unclear about the fact that you have somebody else living in your…body I guess?" Weiss stepped in between her and Ruby, trying to intervene before something happened. "Don't get me wrong, we're grateful at getting out alive but still this Sukuna or whoever he is…" She trailed off, unsure what else to say.

"Look guys, I know how you feel." She took a seat again, giving out a sigh as she laid back a bit. "As far as unique individuals, Sukuna is pretty at the top. I know you must have a lot of questions but do me a favor, let's just put a pin in it for now." Yang quickly brought her hands up before somebody tried to argue. "I'm just going to have to explain this again to Uncle Qrow and frankly I'm not in the mood to repeat myself."

"You're remarkably calm about this Yang." This time Blake spoke up, her eyes slightly narrowed in suspicion. "How long has he been with you?"

"Six months." Yang closed her eyes and counted the seconds before it all blew up. She got to seven before there was a collective WHAT?! "Yes, I had six months to get used to him." She kept her eyes closed as everybody started shouting over one another, demanding answers. Yang meant what she said, she was only going to say this once. Once everybody seemed to get all the shouting out of their system, she asked Blake how long until they arrive at Haven.

"A couple hours, give or take."

"Alright, wake me when we get there."

"Yang, you can't just…"

"WEISS!" The blonde had to pause for a minute and just take a deep breath, it wasn't her fault she had to remind herself, she was just worried.. "I just want some peace and quiet for a bit ok? Just give me this."

Whatever the heiress was going to say was cut off by Ruby placing her hand on her shoulder, cutting her off. "You'll have your quiet sis but just tell me one thing. Are you ok? I mean, REALLY ok?"

Yang smiled, letting her hand come out and touched Ruby's. "I'm ok Ruby. Sukuna may be an annoying bastard at times but I can handle him."

Ruby nodded, accepting her sister's words for now. Turning about, she started gently pushing a protesting Weiss away, honoring her word on letting Yang have her privacy. The girl herself decided to forgo the seat and went down into the storage hold, settling near the hull and laying down. At this point, she didn't really care about any kind of comfort, she just wanted to at least pretend she was alone for a bit.

"Hey Sukuna?"

" _ **What do you want?"**_

"Thank you." She whispered, resting her head on her arm. "Thank you for saving them."

Exhaustion started to overcome her the instant her body settled down and her eyes closed. She did not expect a response from her renter but she still had to say it honestly this time and yet, as sleep overtook her, she could have sworn she heard a "you're welcome brat."

OoOoOoOoO

True to Ruby's words, Yang managed almost an hour of uninterrupted sleep before being woken up by the ship rumbling. She groaned as she sat up, her hand rubbing at her face. However she quickly abandoned that idea on feeling the dried blood still on her. Her lilac eyes went down to her hands, seeing the red on her hands flaking off. She always knew that being a Huntress would eventually get to the point where she would need to take a life. She just never figured it would be this soon. Even if she herself didn't kill those Faunus, she still let out the madman who did.

A groan left her lips as the huntress in training made her way back up the stairs, but as she crossed the threshold onto the deck, she felt the chill in the air as the night air rushed against her skin. The cold didn't bother her as much as her natural warmth and recovering aura kept her warm. She noticed that they were not alone anymore, as they were now both flanked by airships from Mistral.

"They showed up about 30 minutes ago." Blake spoke up. "They're here to escort us to Haven, courtesy of Headmaster Lionheart."

"Nice of him." She muttered, deciding to take a seat nearby Blake, propping her head up on her fist. "I don't like him."

"Who? The Headmaster?"

"Guy is scared of his own shadow. How he became Headmaster is beyond me."

"Well he must have proven himself, otherwise Mistral wouldn't have allowed it."

"Maybe…" Yang didn't elaborate further, just letting the conversation die as she watched as the scenery passed by.

It didn't take very long before Yang started to recognize the scenery passing by. Ruby and Weiss had joined her at this point and just stayed together in silence. There wasn't much to talk about until they got to Haven. Eventually the town of Mistral came into view and with it the massive CCT tower that Haven had. She was not looking forward to the conversation that was going to happen. Hell she wished it never happened at all but those were the cards she's been dealt. Mistral came and went and Haven got closer and closer as Blake piloted the ship toward the landing pads. As the pads got closer and closer, her violet eyes caught sight of a few figures waiting for them, one being the unmistakable form of her Uncle Qrow, another being Haven's headmaster, Lionheart but the others she didn't recognize, maybe teachers of the school.

As the ship neared the pads, Yang and the others save Blake made their way down to the hold. It didn't take long for the ship to thud as it landed and they were rejoined by Blake. The cat Faunus moved to thumb the ramp switch but paused before she could, looking toward Yang. The girl herself nodded, taking a deep breath. Blake thumbed the switch and the ramp hissed and started lowering. The inside of the airship slowly filled with light as the ramp lowered itself.

Yang and Qrow's eyes both met and she saw his widen in shock as he took in their appearance, hers especially. She took a step forward, followed by another and another until she found herself running full speed into Qrow's chest, her arms wrapping around her uncle in a tight squeeze, tears started to leak from her eyes. Ruby quickly followed, crashing into them followed quickly by Weiss and Blake, wrapping their own around their mentor.

"I'm so glad to see you Uncle." She managed to croak out, burying her head into Qrow's chest, her hands fisting his clothes. "You've no idea the shit we've been through."

"It's alright Firecracker, you made it back home."

They cried, cried harder than they ever had, the stresses of their near beheading, their near escape and finally culminating in their escape came pouring out. They knew the risks involved with the job but knowing and actually going through the experience were two different things. Qrow himself was all too familiar with the feeling and right now, he let himself be the comfort that his charges needed.

Eventually their emotions has finally drained out of them and they detached themselves from the scythe user. They each took a step back and took a moment to compose themselves. Nobody there blamed them. Escaping from a near beheading would do that to anybody.

"You look like shit." Came the oh so helpful observation from Yang's esteemed uncle which earned a snort from the girl as she tried to wipe down her tears and failing. "I'm serious Firecracker, you look like you went five rounds with the largest blood bag ever." Yang let out a laugh at that, using the back of her hands to try and wipe the tears away.

"Miss Xiao Long…" Now the Headmaster spoke up, stepping forward a little bit with his lion's tail swishing behind him. "I hope you forgive the interruption but what happened to the Huntsman that was with you?"

"We were ambushed on the way back from our mission." Ruby answered for her. "Corvo was keeping watch during the night but they just steamrolled over us. By the time we realized what was going on, he was dead and we were captured."

"Oh dear, that's not good." He muttered that last part to himself but Yang heard it clearly and she knew Blake heard it as well. "In any case, I'm glad to see you girls made it back in one piece. I look forward to your report on how you managed to escape."

Yang froze and quickly spoke before Ruby could say anything. "Actually Headmaster, with all due respect, I just want to talk to Qrow right now." She kept a straight face as all eyes turned to her but what caught her attention the most right now was that she could feel Sukuna poke his eyes out of the side of her neck, her hair and clothes hiding it from sight. "It's not that I…"

"Oh you don't have to explain yourself. If you want to speak to your uncle then go ahead. Now that I have confirmation on Corvo's death, I have a lot of paperwork to fill out. If you'll excuse me…" Thankfully the Faunus Headmaster didn't push for the issue as he turned and left, taking the rest of the adults with him leaving only herself, her team and uncle.

The male Branwen waited until Lionheart was far enough away and inside the building before he turned toward his niece, his lips curved slightly down. "What's going on Yang? Is this related to what Blake said?"

"Not out here. Is there a safe place where we can talk?"

"Yeah, follow me."

Qrow straighten up and turned, headed into in a direction away from the main building and into a nearby administration building. The four fell in step behind him and Yang fell in step to the right of the group, still feeling Sukuna's eyes on her neck. She asked what he was interested in but he didn't respond, keeping silent within her. It wasn't until they neared the building did Sukuna finally speak up.

" _ **We're being followed."**_

Yang actually jumped at the sudden voice, earning her looks from her team. _"What do you mean? Who?"_

" _ **I don't know. I do**_ _ **know**_ _ **that it's the same**_ _ **Aura**_ _ **that's been stalking us for the past few**_ _ **months**_ _ **, but it's showed up shortly after you took control back."**_

" _Do you have an…wait…"_ Yang stopped in her tracks so suddenly and without warning that Weiss actually bumped into her. The white haired girl turned to her but froze when she caught sight of the snarl on the brawler's face. _"What the fuck do you mean over the past few months? YOU KNEW ABOUT THIS?"_

" _ **That's what I said isn't it?"**_

" _Why the fuck didn't you say anything?"_ She could just imagine the grin he had on his face, ignoring the worried looks and prompts her friends were giving her. _"That would have been nice to know!"_

" _ **I had no reason to tell you. Obviously that has now changed. Would you like to know something else? That A**_ _ **ura**_ _ **our stalker has? Your uncle has the same."**_ That gave Yang paused and her focus shifted back to the man in front of her, the man quirking an eyebrow at the sudden attention. _**"Tell you what…to make it up, I will see for myself what is stalking us. Let me out and I'll take care of it."**_

The tone he had made it pretty clear it was not a suggestion. He wanted out and the pact that she made with him demanded that she comply. She could say no sure but she had to give a good reason and provide an opportunity to come out later on if she didn't here. But what reason did she have now to deny him? Her throat bobbed as she looked up and around. Qrow had led them into a fairly abandoned section of the school. Considering it was the weekend, this part of the school was barren and devoid of faculty save for those who had to deal with their own issues. However his words worried her. If she was being stalked by something, she had to take action and if Sukuna volunteered, then why not?

Her chest heaved up as Sukuna's host took a deep breath, stepping back a bit, going past Weiss. "I'll be right back guys. Got an issue to take care of."

"Right back? Wha…HOLY FUCK!" Qrow as well as her charges quickly stepped back as Yang changed right in front of his eyes, seeing tattoos appear on her body, an extra pair of eyes and arms grow. "Yang what the hell?!"

" **Damn the brat actually kept her word."** The now present Sukuna grinned at the shocked and scared faces the other members wore. **"I'll be right back."**

Sukuna turned his attention away from Yang's friends and looked toward his right, his eyes settling at a nearby tall building. More specifically the top of a building and a bird that resided on top of it. As soon as their eyes met, the bird squawked as if it was surprised at the sight and quickly flapped its wings and took off.

It didn't even fly a few meters before Sukuna almost instantly closed the distance, landing on the roof with a crash. This startled the bird, now identified as a raven, now that he got closer to see. It flapped its wings furiously trying to gain speed to get away but the cursed being jumped again, quickly closing the distance and let his hand shoot out and quickly grab ahold of the escaping bird. He kept ahold of the struggling raven as he landed on a tree, quickly pushing off of it back in the direction in which he came.

The ground cracked as Sukuna landed in nearly the same spot in which he left. The dust settled as he straightened up, his eyes observing his prize. **"This is what was stalking us?"** He muttered as he kept ahold of the cawing raven, his hand moving it back and forth as he inspected the struggling bird. He could feel the same aura that Qrow had in this avian but he didn't know what it was exactly.

He did, however, miss seeing Qrow's eyes widen in shock as he looked at the raven.

" **You don't look like much but then again, you would be a fool just to dismiss something based off of their appearance."** He let a grin cross his face as he started into the raven's red eyes. **"Let's see what happens if I ripped your head off."**

Without missing a beat, Sukuna grabbed the raven's head with a free arm, pushed just a little bit on its neck when he felt the thing shift in his hands. In the space of a second, the raven blurred and as the clock ticked to the next second, he found himself staring at what looked to be a version of older Yang that looked like she entered a goth phase and never left it. **"There you are."** He said even as his host gave a _"what the fuck?!"_ inside him.

He lunged forward to grab her but she was already moving, pushing herself off the ground with a growl and to her left narrowing escaping his grab. She sprinted away, trying to get some distance between them but Sukuna would not allow that as the ground cracked any further as he launched off. He let his foot launch him again, even as the woman turned and in one swift motion drew the blade out of its scabbard. He didn't attempt to dodge it, allowing the blade hit his neck and saw it shatter against his skin. The woman only had a second to look shocked before he crashed into her, their bodies tumbling into the ground before they stopped, him now straddling her chest. He quickly grabbed her wrists and pinned them down above her head while a third hand grabbed her neck and pushed her into the ground eliciting a pained cry.

" **Hello mom."** He held onto her neck just a little bit tighter as she struggled, his four eyes kept a lock on the woman's own even as his hair fell around them as an impromptu curtain as the woman struggled in his grasp. **"It's a pleasure to finally meet you face to face."**

"Get the fuck off of me!"

" **I don't think so."** He ignored the footsteps running up to them. **"I was wondering what was following us and it turned out to be you. Tell me…"** He let his face dip down to her ear. **"Why do you and your brother feel like that old man?"**

His words caused Raven to still, looking up to him with wide eyes. "You…who are you? What have you done with Yang?"

" **The brat's right here."** He confirmed, tapping his head with a finger from his free hand. **"Bit in shock at seeing her so called mother transform from a bird. I feel such hatred for you from her. Maybe I should do her a favor and just pop your head off right now."** He emphasized this with a squeeze of the hand around her throat.

" _Wait!"_ Sukuna paused at his hosts shout, turning his attention toward her but keeping his grip on the woman under him. _"Just wait."_

" _ **What now? You've been wanting to bring this woman to heel ever since we joined. Don't tell me you're chickening out now."**_

" _I need answers Sukuna. Answers that I will beat out of her if I need to. First of which is how IN THE NAME OF THE BROTHERS WAS SHE ABLE TO TURN INTO A DAMN BIRD! WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?!"_

He left Yang to her internal ranting, turning his attention back to the struggling woman beneath him. **"Verdict's out** _ **mother**_ **. You're free to disappoint another day."** He let go of her neck first followed by her wrists before getting up off straddling her chest and backing up. Surprisingly she didn't bolt right then and there, staying rooted to the spot before she was dragged up by Qrow, Blake and Ruby, putting her behind them in some kind of attempt of shielding her from him. **"Till we meet again brats."**

Just as fast as he arrived, he left. The tattoos disappearing along with the extra eyes and arms and in its place was Yang Xaio Long who wore a stern expression as she glared at her birth mother. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

"You died." Came the surprising answer from the woman. "I felt you die and come back."

"Well whop di fucking do." Yang turned toward her shell shocked uncle. "Where is this place we're headed?"

"Um…yeah. It's down the hall…" Qrow spoke and pointed toward the entrance. "All the way down and to the right. Door at the end of the hall. Room 31A."

Yang turned on her heel and headed back toward the entrance hearing Ruby and the others follow suit. Before she went inside, however, she turned back to see Qrow and Raven both start arguing with each other but right now she didn't care. She needed to cool off before she hit something.

OoOoOoOoO

It took some time but Qrow and Raven both made their way toward room 31A. The both of them needed answers for what had happened and at least Yang was willing to provide answers. The room was quickly reached and Qrow was the first one in, followed by his sister. Yang and the others were already in the room and when the blonde brawler saw who he had brought with him, she moved to speak but he headed her off.

"I know kiddo but hear her out at least."

Yang frowned but didn't offer any retort. If Qrow, who also hated his sister, felt comfortable enough to let her stay, then she would trust her uncle's judgement. She settled back into her chair and glared at her egg donor who responded with a look of her own. "Before we start, I need to know what I'm going to say stays in this room. It's bad enough I had to let him out like that but I don't want this to get out, don't want _him_ to become public knowledge."

"But Yang…" This time Ruby spoke up, her eyes filled with concerned. "Who or what is he?"

"Swear to me first. This is important to me."

She waited until she got confirmations from everybody but Raven was the last holdout. She locked gazes with the woman. "What will you do if I don't _daughter_?"

"Well…if you remember, Sukuna was well on his way on popping your head like a cherry. Maybe I would be inclined to not stop him next time." She said all of this with a smile and a straight face which was made worse by the bloody state she was in.

"Foisting the job off to others I see."

"Well I'm a nice girl. Who am I to deny a man his vice?"

Yang kept her eyes locked onto her mother, staring her down. She knew Raven's views on strength thanks to her father telling her about her mother and she knew she couldn't back down. However if Raven decided to call her out on her bluff, she wouldn't know if she would actually be able to go through with it.

Thankfully that didn't come to pass as Raven scoffed and broke eye contact. "Fine, you have my silence."

"Swear to me _mom_."

"I swear on the Branwen tribe no one will hear it from me."

Yang looked toward her uncle who gave her a slight nod. That was good enough for her. Now came the crux of the matter. Explaining Sukuna. She herself didn't know much about him, even with his recent revelations. She hated not knowing but there wasn't much she could do about it for now. "So where should I start?"

"Who or what is he?"

"Honestly I don't know Ruby. I'm serious!" She responded to Ruby's incredulous look. "Sukuna is a private person and keeps so much shit to himself. The only thing I really know is that he's an old…whatever he is. He's been around for a while." Now that got the adults attention for some reason Yang noticed. She kept her thoughts to herself for now. "Beyond that I don't know much about him. It's bad enough that he looks like me whenever I see him."

"Looks like you? He took your body?"

"Believe me he's not happy about it." She let out a scoff. "Gave me so much shit about it in the first month but we got somewhat used to each other since then." She took a deep breath. "What happened back there was not an easy decision to make. By that point in time, I had a good handle on what kind of person Sukuna is. He enjoys killing, it's his vice so to speak. I knew I couldn't let him out so I vowed to keep him in me at all costs. When Adam told us that…"

"Wait..Adam? As in Adam Taurus?" Qrow's eyes widened in shock and Raven's were no better. "He captured you?"

"Unless we're talking about another redhead bull Faunus, yeah. He had a personal grudge against Blake here and he decided that I was going to be the first to lose my head in a show execution because I was her partner."

"How did you get out? Taurus is no joke."

Yang did not respond at first, instead her eyes were on Blake and the sorrow and regret. She did not know the entire history behind him and her, just that he was her old partner in the White Fang but based off of the interactions Blake and Adam had, she had the feeling it went a bit deeper than that. "Before I was beheaded, I gave Sukuna the reigns and he killed him right on the spot."

"I find that hard to believe Yang." Raven spoke up, clear disbelief in her eyes. "I only know Taurus by reputation but it's a reputation well deserved."

Yang's answer to that was to stand up and spread her arms out putting her bloody body in display. The pants were spared for most of the damage but thanks to Sukuna ripping off her shirts leaving only her tube top meant that her skin now had a healthy coating of red.

"You see all this blood? It's not mine. I meant it when I said Sukuna likes to kill. If I hadn't stopped him back there, he would have went on to kill every single Faunus there."

"Alright Firecracker you made your point." She scoffed as she sat back down. "But Raven does have a point as well. Taurus is infamous for a reason. I'm just shocked that you managed to overpower him."

" _HE_ overpowered him, not me. Sukuna's…Sukuna is strong, insanely strong. He can overpower anybody and he crushed Adam's head like a grapefruit." She could still see slight disbelief on their faces. "Let me put it this way. Adam may have been unprepared but even if you two were at your prime and completely prepared, he would still crush the two of you like a bug. Hell I think he could easily take on Headmaster Ozpin."

Raven and Qrow both shared a look.

"But that is not what worries me." She tapped herself. "As far as anybody is concerned, I killed them. If there were any survivors of the massacre, they're going to report back and say that I killed them all. That I used some kind of Semblance and butchered them all. How do you think the White Fang is going to react? If anybody recorded the damn thing or there were cameras there, they're going to see what he did, playing off the extra limbs as a Semblance or something."

"You're worried about retribution."

"Exactly. I or all of us are going to make the Fang's most wanted list, even higher than the Schnee's and unlike them, Dad's not guarded 24 hours a day and Beacon can't protect us forever."

"She has a point Qrow. Fanatics they may but they only have to get lucky once. Sienna will be gunning for her."

"That's assuming Sienna even authorized it in the first place. I have a good feel on her and there's no way she would risk Beacon and Haven's wrath, and by extension Atlas, by doing what they did. No, the best thing for her to do is to throw Adam and his lot under the bus and let that bus run them over repeatedly. I have some feelers I can put out, see if I can't find out what they know." Yang nodded at that. That would be a good starting point to judge just how bad things were going to get. "That being said kiddo, Oz can help."

"I'm sure he can Uncle but right now, the less people that know about him the better. If it comes to it sure but not before."

"You don't trust him." It was more of a statement than a question but Raven had a weird look in her eyes, her mouth quirked up in a smile that she couldn't figure out. "One of the most powerful and influential figures in Vale and you don't trust him." Now she turned and looked at her scowling brother, mirth dancing in her eyes. "I wonder why…"

"Not the time Rae."

Yang wasn't the only one who were looking between the two of them. They could all tell that there was something going on between them, a history and a bad one at that and that Ozpin was involved which was even more confusing. She cleared her throat to bring attention back to herself. "It's more of the fact that I don't know how he'll react to us. I just didn't want to risk it."

"A reasonable assumption. You got to look out for yourself." Yang narrowed her eyes. Where were these praises come from? Was she honestly praising her or was she taking jabs at Qrow? She felt it was the latter seeing her uncle's reaction.

"How did you two even meet?" This time Blake spoke up in an attempt to shift the topic. "You said it was six months ago. That's around the time we went on our first mission isn't it?"

"The one we had Uncle Qrow shadow us?" At Yang's nod, Ruby continued. "But that was a simple mission. Kill a large number of Grimm harassing a town. It went fine except…" Ruby trailed off, realizing what she was about to say.

"Except I got separated from you all when the Nevermore showed up." Yang finished, nodding in agreement. "Everything I put down in the mission report happened, except for what happened while we were separated."

"When was this?" This time Raven spoke up. "The first time this Sukuna took over your body."

"Six months ago as I mentioned, during our first missions when we shadow an active huntsman, which in this case, was Uncle Qrow.

Yang watched as her mother got her answer, watching as her eyes narrowed as she tried to place the timeline with something before she turned toward Qrow. "Then why are they in Haven? Missions for second years don't go outside the Kingdoms."

"Ozpin and Lionheart worked together a student exchange."

Raven narrowed her eyes at her brother. "Again…for second years? Even we didn't go out of Vale until near the beginning of our third year. Beacon, for all that they coddle students, focuses on academics before practicality."

"It was a little strange to me." Weiss spoke up, apparently sharing in Raven's disbelief. "Like she said, going out of the Kingdoms, barring the Vytal festival, usually waits for the students to gain more experience."

"Qrow…" Yang was surprised at the growl that escaped Raven's lips. Was that concern? "What games is that old man playing?"

"It was just a simple student exchange Rae. There was no harm to it."

"And yet the White Fang was able to locate and kill an experienced Huntsman, a Huntsman who happened to be escorting the Schnee. You would be a fool to believe in coincidence in our line of work." Her eyes flicked to Yang's for just a moment before going back to her brother. "We'll talk about this later, we're getting off track."

Yang however couldn't believe what she was hearing for more reason than one would think. Disregarding the implied accusations of a traitor somewhere, the words "old man" rang a bell of a conversation Sukuna himself had with her mother not less than half an hour ago. Was the old man Ozpin? What did he have to do with Raven's apparent ability to turn into a bird? Since Qrow apparently has the same kind of Aura, could he turn into a bird? She snapped out of it when her uncle called out to her, bringing her focus back.

"Sorry what did you say?"

"You were saying about something that happened during that mission?"

"Right so the mission went off without a hitch at first. We found the pack and were going through hit and run to whittle down their numbers to a more manageable size."

"Then the Nevermore showed up." Blake couldn't help but wince at the memory. The Nevermore was massive, it even looked bigger than the once they faced in initiation.

"Yeah. That damn bird spooked the entire pack and kept us pinned with its feathers. I was unfortunate enough to have a good part of them aiming for me. It was even worse when I came across a Beringel. I couldn't do anything against them so I ran, I ran as hard as I could."

"A valid strategy." Yang frowned again at the compliment from her mother. "At least you have a good head on your shoulders rather than some people I know."

"Yeah well I didn't get far. I managed to get a good deal away before a small pack of Beowolves caught up to me. I tried to kill them but…" Yang couldn't help but shiver at the memory, her left arm reaching across to rub against her right, squeezing it trying to get some kind of comfort. "One of them got ahold of my right arm in their jaws while the others clawed at me. I couldn't escape and it kept on scratching at my Aura until it finally broke and with it that Beowolf took my arm." Her hand squeezed her upper arm, remembering vividly the pain she felt with it being ripped apart.

Nobody spoke at that revelation, not even Raven as they stared at the girl before them.

"Because my Aura broke, it didn't stop the claws and teeth from ripping into my skin. My only saving grace was that the Nevermore shot a feather at me, barely missing. The impact scattered all of us and I think it even killed a few of them."

"Yang…"

"It took me a couple seconds to recover myself. My entire body was screaming at me but I knew I had to move before they caught sight of me again. Turns out luck was on my side as I found myself near a cave near a mountain. Somehow I managed to limp in there. The cave wasn't deep but I had hoped that the Grimm wouldn't be able to find me there. I managed to get a tourniquet on before one of the smaller Beowolves found me."

She paused a moment and closed her eyes as the memory came back to her. It was honestly the most single terrifying moment in her entire life. She could still hear the growls as it stalked toward her, the sounds of the rock as it crunched beneath its paws. It knew she was easy prey and was going to take its time.

A chuckle left her lips.

The chuckles then turned to giggles.

Then full blown laughter.

Every single person in the room looked at Yang like she went insane as she let out her laughter. Even Sukuna within quirked an eyebrow at her behavior but stayed silent, curious to see where this was going. The table shook as Yang pounded her fist, tears leaking out of her eyes as she laughed into her arm. She couldn't help it. This was the first time she had told this story to anybody, the relief she feels now being able to tell her story and be BELIEVED and not thought of as an insane girl that needed to be locked up. Hell considering she was still caked in blood from letting Sukuna loose, she would probably lock herself up had she not known what happened to herself.

"I should have died in that cave." She finally let out when her laughter started to die down, her hand holding onto her head as she tried to calm herself down. "I should have died in that cave. I had no Aura, my weapons were fucked and I was one swipe and bite away from seeing mom again."

She grinned at her family and friends that were staring at her in shock. "I should have died…if it wasn't for the fact that the cave floor I was on was right above a deeper cave system." More giggles left her lips. "As soon as that Beowolf leapt and landed, the ground beneath me cracked and broke apart sending the both of us falling down. I managed to survive falling, just barely but the Grimm got impaled on a stalagmite."

Yang burst out laughing again, her fist pounding the table once more. "I nearly DIED and I got saved BY A FUCKING ROCK!"

"Well you know what they say…" Ruby spoke up, trying to insert something to lighten the mood. "Luck and skill are the two most important traits in a Huntress and Huntsman."

Raven snorted at this, giving a look and a smirk at her brother. "Given my brother here is the antithesis of good luck, it surprises me every time I hear he's still alive."

"Believe me there was a time when I thought this was Uncle Qrow's semblance rubbing off on me somehow."

"Well you're still here so it must have turned out alright."

"Well at the time I didn't think so." Yang took a moment to calm down a bit, to catch her breath. "I was in pretty bad shape already and the fall didn't help. I could barely move and I could barely see anything. I'm not going to lie, I thought I was going to die down there and nobody was going to find my body."

"Then why didn't my Semblance tell me you were in danger?" Everybody looked at Raven who spoke up, her eyes fixated on Yang's. "If I understand the timeline right, I felt you die but it did not tell me you were in danger."

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

Qrow spoke up before his sister could respond. "Did you and Tai not go over that?"

"We never got that far."

"Well Rae's Semblance allows her to create a link between her and the people she bonds with which gives her portals an anchor that she can pop out whenever she likes. It also has the handy side effect of telling her when the person themselves believes they are in life-ending danger."

"Wait…you're telling me I'm bonded to this bitch? Funny I don't seem to remember spending time with you."

"Believe it or not I didn't toss you away as soon as I pushed you out of me. I did spend time with you."

"And let me guess you went out for booze and never came back you backstab…"

"Yang! While my sis here completely deserves the tongue lashing…" Raven shot her brother a look. "Why don't we get back on track? Rae, you said you didn't feel her in danger?"

"No. I know what it feels like when someone is. She was completely fine until I felt her connection to me suddenly cut out, like a punch to the gut."

"Well I don't know what to tell you. Laying there bleeding out pretty much qualifies as being in danger." She turned to her uncle. "Can we trust her? I mean, she screwed our entire family, and not in a good way."

"A bitch I may be Yang but a liar I am not."

"I can vouch for that."

The blonde huntress narrowed her eyes at the both of them, not quite sure if she could trust her but she did trust her uncle and if he was vouching for her, a woman he hates, then she will trust him. Now it raises the question is if Raven couldn't feel her in danger, then why? It couldn't have been Sukuna could it?

"Tell me something _Mom_." Said woman quirked an eyebrow at the identification. "If you had felt me in danger, would you have saved me?"

Raven brought her hand up and brought out a finger. "One save." Now it was Yang's time to quirk her eyebrow. "One of my personal policies is that anyone that I'm bonded with gets one save when they are about to die. You have not used up that one chance yet."

"Then what about today? My head was ON THE DAMN CHOPPING BLOCK!"

"I was asleep." She admitted with a sigh. "And slightly hungover. By the time I realized what my Semblance was telling me, I felt you die…again."

"You..!" Yang wrung her hands in the air, trying to strangle her mother from a few feet away. Failing that, she let out an angry sigh and crashed back into her chair. At the least, it answered some of her questions.

" _ **Mother of the year heh."**_

" _Shut the fuck up."_

"Alright, so we established you can't feel me when Sukuna takes over. Makes sense I guess. I'm not in the driver's seat so to speak."

"But how in Remnant did you two meet?"

"Well like I said, I had crashed to the floor with a broken body. The cave was pitch black save for the light filtering from the hole in the ground but even with it I couldn't see anything. I honestly didn't know how long I laid there waiting to die. Then I felt _something_ somewhere in the cave. It's hard to describe and my memory of the time is still fuzzy at best but I remember feeling something was there with me. I…you'd think I'm crazy but it kind of felt like a beating heart. It was warm but it wasn't the comforting kind of warm but warm nonetheless. Whatever it was it motivated me to move toward it and somehow, I picked myself up and moved."

"I fumbled around in the dark for who knows how long but eventually I felt something not stone. It felt like wood to be honest but whatever it was seemed to have crumbled at being touched because the next thing I felt I could have sworn was a dust crystal."

"A crystal?"

"Yeah, I had the chance to actually touch a raw crystal when Weiss got a shipment of the stuff a while ago and it felt like that. I didn't get a chance to really admire it because the next thing I felt was agonizing pain shooting through me. The worst part of it was that it didn't hurt all at once, it started at my hand." She pointed toward her left hand and started moving up. "And started traveling up." Her finger went up the arm and across her chest. "It wasn't slow but it wasn't fast either but my Brothers it hurt so much. I was screaming so much I thought that the sound was going to draw the Grimm to me. It wasn't until it reached my heart…" She tapped the area above her heart. "That the pain exploded across my entire body and I heard him for the first time."

Yang shuddered at the memory. "Do you have any idea what it feels like to be nearly dying and to suddenly hear another voice in your head? I heard his laughter echo in my mind and all of a sudden, I was not in control of my body anymore. I found myself watching as my body moved on its own, a voice coming out of my lips that was not my own. I couldn't feel anything but I could still hear and see. I watched as my body got up, watched as I leapt from the ground and through the hole that I fell."

"He took my body out of the cave and it turned out that while I was down there, the area got jammed packed with Grimm They didn't stand a chance as he obliterated all of them with his bare hands and I mean bare hands. He regenerated my damn arm and even grew two more! I thought I was going insane! I thought I had died and gone to hell!"

"That is until he spoke to me. He thanked me for finding him and for giving him a new body, even if it was a woman's body but he could make it work. Then he said something that snapped me out of it and really pissed me off. What was it you said again Sukuna?"

" **I was going to enjoy the warmth of a woman's body."**

Chairs scrapped as everybody backed up at the voice but mostly because of the mouth that showed up on Yang's cheek. Lilac eyes looked down as she snarled. "You were going to have sex in MY body."

" **It wasn't yours at the time woman. You try being celibate for eons then come bitch at me. Damnit I should have included sex in the deal."**

"Fucking hell Sukuna we talked about this! No sex! I can't even fucking enjoy myself anymore because of you!"

" **I have four hands brat. Can you imagine what I can do to a woman?"** They did imagine. For everybody that was listening to this, their minds thought of the possibilities of what one could do with four hands which resulted in more than a few red faces. **"Besides it's not like I can feel what you do anyway so I don't know what your damn problem is."**

"My problem is…"

"YANG!" Said girl blinked at the interruption and her focus returned to the ones before her, realizing that she forgot they were there after starting to argue with him. "Can you please change topics?" This came from Ruby who had her blushing face hidden by her hood.

"Oh right…sorry. I got carried away there."

"You think?" Qrow groaned into his hands while Raven tried to act nonchalant but failed due to the heavy blush on her face. "I didn't need to know this." The man quickly took his flask and down a swig before it was stolen by his sister who also took a gulp. The other three didn't have the comfort of alcohol and had to stew in the imaginations.

"Sorry." She apologized again before clearing her throat. "So anyway, I got pissed off at him. I survived multiple near deaths to succumb to this? I was going to take my body back even if it killed me. Then…all of a sudden, like the flick of a switch, I was back in my body. Like I willed myself back in place. The arms were gone sure but my injuries were completely healed thanks to him but I had no Aura still. In the back of my mind, I could hear him furious at being shunted and I thought, 'Could I really switch at will?' So I decided to test it. I closed my eyes and willed myself to switch and it worked, I found myself back there and him back in the forefront. Even he was surprised at the action."

"Sis what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I can control when he can come out and he can't do a damn thing about it. I can't stop him from growing a mouth or eyes on my skin but that is as far as he can go."

"For now anyway." This time Raven spoke up. "How do you know that it won't change in the future? If he finds a way to make the switch permanent?"

"I don't." Yang admitted with a shrug. "Hell I don't even know if me dying will result in his death or his takeover and it's not exactly something that can be tested. My only hope is to get his cooperation."

"Is that what that deal is that he mentioned?"

She nodded and rapped the side of her head with her knuckles. "While you guys were on the way back here, he and I had a talk and we made a deal. In exchange for helping me out occasionally if I get in over my head or if the White Fang sends an army after me, I have to let him out whenever he wants." She quickly shot up a hand to forestall her uncle. "He has to behave however and I have the right to deny him coming out in exchange for coming out later."

"You expect him to keep his word? You trust this thing?"

" **We made a pact, a pact that has consequences for us both if we break it."** Now Sukuna brought his eyes out, narrowing his eyes at the Branwen twins. **"It is a magic that cannot be circumvented."**

"Magic? What foolery are you talking about? Magic doesn't exist."

"Weiss, you saw what he did back there. You saw him bring out his Domain."

"That was a Semblance, it had to be."

"And the fact that he can make people blow up by just twitching a finger in their direction is also his Semblance?"

"I…I…"

" **These two know of magic don't you?"** Sukuna kept his gaze on the twins. **"I couldn't tell before but now that I see you side by side, I can taste it on you. And you…"** His eyes moved over to Raven. **"You have a bit extra in there don't you?"** He grinned when Raven stiffened and Yang couldn't help but wonder what he was talking about. **"Curious…very curious."** He then withdrew his mouth and eyes leaving behind unaltered skin.

"Sukuna? Uncle, what is he talking about?"

"It's…complicated."

"Very complicated."

Yang narrowed her eyes at the two. She didn't like this. Sukuna knew something about these two and she had a feeling it was related to her mother being able to change into a bird but decided to put a pin on it for now. She would find out soon enough. Continuing on, she spoke up. "So that's pretty much it. I had only let Sukuna out a couple times after that and never for very long. It wasn't until today that I let him have free reign."

"Yang…why in Remnant didn't you say anything? We could have helped you!"

"Uncle…would you have really believed me?" Yang quickly held up a hand to stop him. "I'm dead serious Uncle. If I come to you and told you that there was a madman in my head, would you have believed me?"

"Of course I would Firecracker."

"Bullshit!" Yang's hand slammed down onto the table, this time cracking around the impact. "I know EXACTLY what you would have done, what all of you would have done. You would have smiled and nodded and played it off as the ramblings of a girl who had a near death experience." Her eyes roamed over everybody present, guilty looks on some of them. "And if I had kept it up after I had rested, I would have been _escorted_ to the nearest psychiatrist." Her anger grew as she growled, the cracks beneath her fist growing and growing.

What she did NOT notice was that her other balled up hand rested on the table, cracks starting to grow and spread out like cracks in a window.

"I am not STUPID _Uncle_. I heard the horror stories of Huntsmen and Huntresses who cracked under the pressure. The ones who were not killed were hunted down, their Auras stunted and locked in a damn straightjacket and abandoned in a god damn padded CELL!" The cracks nearly doubled in size as her anger pulsed.

"If ANY of you know me as well as you think you do, you know I have certain…issues." Her eyes glared at her mother. "I was not going to take that risk. Especially since Sukuna had already told me he would do NOTHING to validate his existence to anybody if I had tried."

"But you said you could swit…"

"He can refuse it." Ruby's mouth snapped shut. "Even though I can switch, he can still refuse to take the driver's seat and if I try to force it and drag him out against his will…you've seen what he is capable of." Her right fist uncurled itself and she placed two fingers on her temple. "I have a sociopath in my head Rubes, someone who has carved out his own domain within me. I have no idea what he is or what he is truly capable of and there is nothing anybody can do. So tell me again Uncle Qrow…" Her hand rested against the quickly cracking table. "If I had come to you and have told you what had really happened in that cave, would you have believed me?"

"Yang…I would have."

A growl erupted from her Yang's lips as her anger coursed through her. He was lying. There's no Dust damned way he would have. Her muscles tensed as her anger grew and grew. A part of her was screaming at her to stop but she didn't listen, too focused on her, her uncle, her stupid mother. Her eyes turned red as her hair started glowing for the first time. She was not going to risk getting locked up, she valued her freedom too much for that.

" **D** _on_ 't **l** ie _t_ **o m** _e_."

"Look Yang…"

"Don't!" The table shattered under her shout, her hair blazing in response to her anger causing everyone to dash backwards. Something pulsed within her. Something strange and foreign. She could feel it pulse through her body as her anger grew and grew.

" _ **Well well…isn't this interesting?"**_

Yang herself didn't flinch at exploding table, ignoring Sukuna's words, her body straightening up as tears started to leak from her eyes. "You were going to leave me behind weren't you? Like she did? Like Mom?"

Qrow brought himself to his full height even as Yang's Semblance blazed in front of him. He couldn't stand by while his niece broke down in front of him.

"Go to her Qrow." Muttered his sister beside him. "Help her snap out of it."

"This is entirely all your damn fault Rae."

"I know. Go to her."

The man didn't need to be told twice. He would do anything for his family and right now his niece needed him. Qrow motioned to the rest, signaling to keep back. He pushed forward, letting his Aura take the brunt of the heat rolling off of her. The tears were coming down, her fears of abandonment coming back and hitting her full force. As he got within a few steps, he rushed forward, even as Yang tried to move back, and encased her in a bone crushing hug even as his Aura screamed. "I believe you Yang. I believe you." He held onto her as she struggled. Her strength was no joke but she was not in the right mind to use it properly and it allowed him to hold onto her as she cried.

Seconds ticked by before Yang's Aura started to die down, the anger losing its momentum before her light died out completely. Her hands fisted his clothes as her legs finally gave way and tumbled to the ground, taking her uncle with her but he didn't let go of her, holding onto her with a hand stroking her hair. "It's alright Firecracker. You're not alone." If anything, that statement caused Yang's crying to renew in strength even as Raven approached, the wood crunching under her boots.

"Yang." Said girls attention was drawn to the speaker, her now lilac eyes seeing the red eyes of the woman who birthed her. "I think…" Raven bent down so they were now eye level with each other. "That my brother and I are one of the few on this world that would believe you."

"You… _hic_ …really?"

She looked up to her uncle who nodded in confirmation. Her head reburied itself into Qrow's bosom as her mind racing with thoughts. She wasn't alone anymore. Her uncle was here. Her sister was here. Her friends were here. Hell even her mother was here. Could she really trust them with this? "You're not going to let anybody hurt me?"

"I would kill those who tried."

She let out a short laugh, her emotions starting to calm down at Qrow's stroking of her hair. It felt nice and that combined with feeling his body heat, the familiar smell of the alcohol that always clung to him. She was starting to feel better now that she had finally let it all out. Slowly she started to detach herself from the man, ended up cross legged in front of him as she tried to dry her eyes. "Sorry about that." She muttered as she looked around, seeing her uncle and mother just being patient with her. She saw the table in pieces and couldn't help but wince. She looked over and saw Ruby and the others, standing back and unsure how they could help.

"You alright?"

"I feel like shit…but I needed that." She rose up from the floor, trying, and failing, to dry her eyes. She was saved by her uncle handing over a handkerchief. "Can we take a quick break? I need a breather."

"I think we all need a breather…and a shower. No offense Firecracker but you look like you came out of a meat grinder."

"Yeah well I don't think Sukuna knows the meaning of the word restraint." She eyed her sister as she and the rest of her team came near. "But a shower and food sounds good right about now."

"I'll go brief Lionheart. We may be able to get a recon team out to that area and…" Qrow got cut off when Yang grabbed onto his arm. "I'm not going to tell him about Sukuna Yang. I promised remember?"

"Yeah…I was just making sure. I don't want anybody knowing about him if I can avoid it."

"What about your father?" Raven now spoke up, walking forward up to them. "If, as you say, the Fang decide to target family to get revenge, Tai is separated enough to be an easy target for them. I've no doubt he can take care of himself but if he has gotten soft over the years, he'll be easy pickings for them."

"I'll talk to dad when we get back. I…he needs to hear it from me."

"I'll tell him to keep an eye out in the meantime. Now come on, you shouldn't run into too many people this time of night."

OoOoOoOoO

True to Qrow's words, the hallways were mostly clear save for some teachers and students. Some gave Yang a curious glance but didn't stop or question her which she was thankful for. She didn't quite feel like talking after the experience she had back there. The girls beside her seemed to have realized as such as they kept in pace beside her, filling the silence with idle chitchat. This entire day has been a whirlwind of emotions for her she couldn't help but wonder how in the world was she still sane.

It wasn't just her near death. She knew that it was bound to happen one of these days. It was seeing her mother for the first time since she could remember but she didn't understand her. Why did she come now? Sukuna had said she was stalking her over the past few months. Was it just those months or was she watching even longer than that? Why did she look like she was actually worried for her? She left her, abandoned both her and her dad. Sukuna had her in his claws and could have easily killed her if she hadn't stopped him.

So why had she?

Her musings got cut short when Weiss poked her side with her elbow. Her attention refocused itself back to her surroundings and she saw herself starting at their dorm room for their stay here, a stay that was likely to be cut short by recent events. "Why don't you take the shower here? We'll grab the dorm showers. Give you some privacy."

She nodded to her, not quite trusting herself to speak. The three colorful girls quickly made their way in and grabbed their shower caddies and spare clothes before heading off, leaving her to herself. She grabbed her own shower materials and change of clothes. Stepping into the bathroom, she closed and locked the door behind her. Her eyes caught her own reflection in the mirror and she couldn't help but wince at just how terrible she looked. Clothes shredded all over, it and her skin were caked in blood. Her face was equally bad seeing the tear streaks on her face. She stepped a bit closer, taking a closer look on her face, wondering if she was going to see an extra pair of eyes somewhere.

Failing that, she let out a scoff before turning toward the shower and turned it on and started to strip her destroyed clothes. Once stripped down and the shower warmed up, she stepped in and let the hot water wash over her. The hot water felt like paradise to her after spending days in the wilderness and confined to a cage for Brothers know how long. She was thankful none of them tried anything else with them, she would have let Sukuna out right then and there.

Sukuna.

Even now she doesn't understand him. It was only a few hours ago that he had volunteered any sort of information about himself, that he was old and from a time long before Aura and Semblances. If that was the case, then what kind of person was he that had the extra limbs and eyes? And that technique of his… _Domain Expansion_ , what in the world was that? Even when she was in his domain within herself, she felt the rush that flowed through her when he activated it. Yang adjusted herself a bit so she could open her eyes free from the water. She let her hands come up and try to replicate the hand gesture that he had made. The pinky and index fingers were bent together and the other two were pointing straight up with her thumbs. It took a couple of attempts because they were not used to this but eventually she managed to replicate what he had done.

" _ **Boo.**_ "

Yang let out the most pathetic shriek she has ever produced, her feet instantly taking a couple steps back but slipped on the water and ended up falling onto the shower floor. Her head bounced off of the wall as she crashed. The hit wasn't enough to really hurt her but it still caused it to throb a bit before she applying Aura to it letting it subside. She turned her attention within hearing his laughter echo in her mind.

" _Seriously?"_ Her only response was even more laughing. She groaned as she got up, keep in mind her feet as she straightened up and let her hand rub the spot where she hit her head. Pain was mostly gone and would be like new in a minute or so. Grabbing the shampoo she started working the soap into the wild mane that was her hair, a trait that she apparently inherited from Raven.

" _ **If you were trying to bring out my domain, don't even bother. My domain is MY domain."**_

Yang paused for a minute but quickly resumed cleansing herself. _"Does that mean it's something anybody can do?"_

Even though she couldn't actually see inside without surrendering her own self, she knew him well enough by now to just picture him laid back, head propped up by one of his arms and a grin on his face. _**"Somebody's curious."**_

" _You're the one who brought it up."_

" _ **Fair enough. Well in answer to your question, it's something that one can use to trap someone and ensure they don't escape. The domain itself comes with several…perks I should say, but each domain is unique to each person as well as its effects."**_

" _Is it something I can learn?"_ If she could make her own domain, that would be a massive boon to her arsenal and it's unknown enough that she could use it and not have any viable counters.

" _ **It depends."**_

" _On what?"_

" _ **We'll have to see."**_

With that, Sukuna fell silent and did not respond to any more prompting. Seeing that their current conversation was over, she returned to finishing her shower. She was getting hungry and wanted to get some grub pretty soon. Once her hair has been handled to her satisfaction, she turned her attention to the rest of her body, making quick work of it before giving herself one last rinse off and shutting off the water. It didn't take very long for her to dry off her body and give her hair a patdown. She would have to take the brush and hairdryer to her messy hair and it always took a while due to how full it was, a fact that her sister hated when she had hogged the bathroom.

Which is why the girl put her foot down and demanded she dry her hair outside.

A chuckle left Yang's lips at the memory as she started to dress herself. It was a few years ago and Ruby had looked so cute trying to look strict and imposing but failed miserably. She did, however, agree to Ruby's demands and started drying her hair outside, a habit she maintained when she arrived at Beacon and gained new roommates. She opened the door and took a couple steps forward when she stopped, her eyes widening in shock and the towel slipping from her hands.

"Mom!?"

Indeed, Raven Branwen was present in the room. The red haired woman was currently sitting in a reclined position, her legs crossed and her head propped up on her fist while the other hand held _Ninja's of Love: Samurai's Redemption_ , which happened to be one of Blake's books.

"Tell me, which one of your friends has no qualms on reading smut in public? Please tell me it's the Schnee." An amused eye moved toward her even as she flipped a page. "She does have good taste I can tell you that."

"It's Blake's…" Yang answered mostly out of shock. "She calls it literature whenever she gets called out on it."

" _Why the fuck didn't you tell me she was here?!"_

" _ **Oh…I didn't mention?"**_

Yang wanted to scream at but held it in when Raven spoke again but choked when her mother _POCKETED_ the damn thing. "Well she's not too far off the mark. It's one of the author's better works."

"I…wha…you…what the hell are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk to you…alone." Yang's eyes moved to the door when she said that. "I asked your friends to give us some privacy." Came the response to her movement. Raven rolled her eyes when the blonde narrowed her eyes. "Qrow knows I'm here. Does that help?"

She took a moment to glare at her mother, chewing on her words. If Qrow knew she was here, then he didn't object and it wasn't like she couldn't defend herself against her if she decided to act against her. She nodded and took a seat on her bed facing her mother who remained in her chair.

"If you're going to bitch at me for what Sukuna did then you can save your breath."

"Oh please, you aren't the only one who wants my head. You don't become the leader of a tribe without making some enemies."

"Is that why you left us?" The words came out before she could stop them but once it did, she found she couldn't stop. "Was raising a family not exciting enough for you?" The last part came out with a growl, her fists balling themselves up and her eyes shifted to red.

Raven maintained her composure while Yang spoke. She knew this was going to happen if she cornered Yang and she would take it head on. "What do you know about me Yang? What did your father or my brother tell you about me? That I was a cruel woman? That I only looked out for myself?"

"They didn't tell me much, despite how many times I tried to pry it out of them. Do you know what you did to dad when you left? The pain you caused him? Did you even care about him?! Did you even love him OR WERE YOU USING HIM FOR YOUR OWN SELFISH DESIRES?" Her voice kept going up and up and her anger kept on going up with it.

Unbeknownst to her, the faint outlines of Sukuna's tattoos started to appear on her.

Raven, however, was unperturbed at the sight. "Do not be mistaken Yang. I am well aware of what my departure did." She held up a hand to forestall Yang from speaking. "I did not take any pleasure in causing Tai pain. I…" A deep sigh left her lips. "I had hoped that Summer would treat him well, that he would forget about me."

"Forget about you? What are you talking about?" The lines started to recede as her anger started to die down.

"Before I say anything, I do not expect any forgiveness from you or them." Raven took advantage of her daughter's confusion to continue. "I will tell you this. You are right in not trusting Ozpin. That man, for all the smiles and praises he gives, is far crueler than anybody that I had ever known."

"Headmaster Ozpin? He's a great guy. He's strict sure but he's the headmaster."

"I'm sure he is. I'm sure your sister was ecstatic when he offered a full ride into Beacon." Whatever Yang was going to say got cut short when she mentioned her sister. "Did you ever get into enough trouble that you SHOULD have been punished but he let you off with a slap on the wrist or even no punishment at all?"

Yang's mind took her back before she had started Beacon. Her assault on Jr's club should have earned her a jail sentence but she had counted on it being a front for an information broker and slightly illegal club to ensure that he would not call the cops. But what if that was not the case? What if the entire incident was swept under the rug?

"Was there a student that he paid attention to more than the others?"

Now initiation came to her mind and the moment where Ruby was named leader. At the time a part of her wondered why he would name her sister leader. She was two years into Signal and it was merely luck that she was late that Ruby stayed in that shop that got invaded by Roman. Yet Ozpin decided that since she was able to hold off against them she was worthy of a school jump and a leaders position to boot? And yet she was too excited for her sister that that worry was pushed entirely out of her mind.

"Did he do your team little favors here and there? Bend the rules a little?"

The Team Exchange program. Weiss was right. That should have been done with teams in their third year and yet, RWBY got exchanged with SSSN. Ozpin had said that they were trying something new this time and seeing how second years would do.

"He's someone that you can count on. Someone trust worthy that you can always go to him for advice or even an open ear?"

Scenes played in her mind where Ruby always spoke highly of the man, even a couple times when she had seen the two of them together talking. Ruby had always said he was just giving her pointers, how to handle being a team leader. It was completely innocent.

"What are you saying Mom? Is…are you saying he's trying to groom her?" Saying those words made her sick. "How do you even know all of this? Have you been stalking us?"

"I know this because he did the same thing to us." Yang's eyes widened at those words, staring at Raven her shock even as she stood up and went toward the window and looked out. "Has anybody told you why Team STRQ fell apart?" Hearing no answer from her daughter, Raven continued. "Qrow and I came to Beacon because we wanted to learn how to kill Huntsman. As Qrow would put it, we were from a tribe of thieves and murderers and the tribe sent us out to learn how they work, how they think so we could train them how to defend against and ultimately kill anybody that went against us."

She smirked at Yang's shocked face. "We were different people back then and even though we were only 18 at the time, we had plenty of blood on our hands. The tribe is cruel to those who are weak Yang, you must be strong to survive. When I first met Summer and Tai, I thought they were stupid fools, Tai especially considering the man took ample delight in flirting with me. No matter how many times I punched him in his stupid face, he kept on coming back. For a time I thought he was a masochist." She closed her eyes and chuckled. "If anything he was a good source of entertainment and knew how to please a woman in bed."

"Gah, STOP! I don't need to know that!"

Raven chuckled again. "Eventually we started to make a name for ourselves. Summer proved herself to be as vicious as any tribesmen and Tai was a berserker on the battlefield. I grew to respect the both of them for their strength and Qrow has found a friend in which he desperately needed." She kept an eye on Yang out of the corner of her eye as her words started to sink in. "We were unstoppable Yang. Then Ozpin set his sights on us."

"It was subtle at first," She spoke as she turned away from the window and sat down on the small bookcase. "Praises here and there, little favors, looked the other way from time to time. He had befriended all of us and had us all eating out of the palm of his hand by the time our fourth year came around."

"Come on Mom, you're making him sound like some kind of bogeyman. Didn't he recently take the position of Headmaster by that time?"

"The youngest ever in Beacon's history. Why do you think that is Yang?"

"Well…he's a progeny isn't he? Made a name for himself in Beacon, graduated and probably kicked a lot of ass out there." Raven didn't respond to that, instead kept her eyes fixed on her. That had to have been it right? It wasn't that unheard of for people to shine brightly then the rest. Take Pyrrha for example. The girl was unstoppable when it came to fighting against non-Grimm opponents and yet…as Raven remained silent, something started to gnaw at her.

She was missing something, something obvious.

She thought back to the conversation that she just had. From the way Raven was describing Ozpin, he sounded like a predator who had found a new favorite but that didn't sound right. If Ozpin had tried that with STRQ, she had a feeling Ozpin wouldn't be alive for very long but that wouldn't explain why she was telling this story. There had to be something else going on.

A rumble in the back of her mind caught her attention but nothing came from Sukuna. He was surprisingly silent. He always loved to insert his own thoughts about things, if only…to…rile…her up. Her mind came to a screeching halt as she thought back to when she remembered what happened not a couple hours ago. He had come out and instantly chased and captured a raven that he said was stalking her.

A raven that happened to be her mother.

Her eyes widened as she remembered his words. "You two smell like the old man." Raven quirked an eyebrow at her mutterings. "Why did he say that?" Sukuna had said that both Qrow and Raven smelled like the old man. The only old men she was around in any amount of time were the professors at Beacon. Oobleck wasn't that old and she doubted Port, as creepy as the man was, would fit the bill so that only really left one person.

"Did…did Ozpin give you and Uncle Qrow the ability to turn into birds?"

She had expected an immediate response to that but when she didn't, remaining silent as they entered into an impromptu staring contest. After a couple minutes, the staring contest was broken by a snicker coming from Raven's lips before it erupted into full blown laughter. An eyebrow was risen as she saw her mother double down in laugher. It didn't last long but it was long enough that Yang was getting annoyed.

The laughter died down but the grin remained as she straightened up and in the next second, the area around the black haired woman seemed to have blurred and the second after that, there was an honest to Brothers raven where Raven previously was. Her lips formed the words "what the fuck" as she stared at the avian as it twitched. She jumped when she cawed at her before it flapped its wings and made the short flight to the end of her bed.

Despite the absurdity of the situation, she found herself not being able to take her eyes off of the bird. It was strangely fascinating to see. Was the red eyes a result of her natural red eyes or was it something else? Did she have the instincts of a bird while in this form? Could she speak? She held up her arm, a silent invitation for her to jump up.

Raven quirked her head and for a moment, she had the thought of being cute before she immediately quashed it down. However just before she took her arm back, Raven actually jumped up to her arm, allowing her a closer look. "Can you understand me?" A caw was her answer along with a flap of her wings. A laugh escaped her lips. "This is…amazing…and freaky at the same time. Qrow can do this as well? Can I…" Her throat bobbed as she gulped. "Can I touch you?" Raven's head swirled in what she thought could be the bird version of an eye roll. She did however expand out her wing and held it there. Her hand reached out and gently touched the wing, her fingers gently rubbing the feathers between them.

A part of her held onto the doubt that this was all a illusion of some sort but feeling the velvety feathers in her fingers, feeling the grip her claws had on her arm and the piercing stare those red eyes were giving her pretty much eliminated all doubt. Her fingers let go of the wing and Raven tucked it back in, but she was not done as she started to pet the back, feeling the feathers shift in response. "How…how is this possible?"

Her mother's reaction earlier pretty much confirmed that Ozpin was responsible for this and at one time, had loyalty to him but something had happened that caused her to turn her back on everything she had known, had built. She chuckled to herself when Raven shook herself, her feathers bristling as they expanded and settled back in. She would probably never admit this out loud, even more to her face, but she thought she looked cute.

" _Cute am I?"_

Twice in one day she found herself startled by a voice in her head.

Twice she shrieked in surprised and jumped back as a reflex.

Twice now did she bang her head on something because of said movement.

Yang cried out in pain as her head slammed back into the hardwood wall, her hand shooting back, which resulted in Raven flying off. She gripped the back of her head as pain lanced through her head, her body falling onto her side as she curled up, trying to push Aura to her head to heal the pain. There was a flap of wings and she felt something land on her head. She groaned as she cracked an eye, peering through her hair as she saw the avian peer down on her.

" _I see you have a hard head like your father."_

The pain started to subside and she narrowed her eyes. The second time she heard an unknown voice was less startling now that she was expecting it. _"What the fuck…"_

" _A little perk to the transformation."_

" _ **My you are chock full of surprises aren't you?"**_ Now this time both mother and daughter jumped in fright, the former cawing in surprise as she jumped off of the latter. _**"This day keeps getting better and better."**_

Raven landed on the end of the bed, clearly shocked at what just happened. _"Wha…was that…?"_

" _ **Surprised? When your magic intrudes on my domain, I'm going to notice. Be thankful that the brat wants you alive or else I would kill you where you stand."**_

" _If you think I'm going to die easily then…"_

" _WOULD YOU TWO SHUT UP?!"_ Yang glared at the bird across the room. _"It's bad enough I have to hear his voice, I don't need a third voice in here."_

"Mom, you said that whatever Ozpin did to you also allows for telepathy?"

Raven shimmered in place as she reverted back to her human form. "Yes but it's limited to only two people for now."

Yang closed her eyes and took a deep breath. This was starting to be too much information at one time. So much revelations were made in such a short amount of time she was struggling to process it all. "Ok…I guess I can accept that for now. So Ozpin can turn people into birds. Is it a Semblance or something?"

Raven did not respond at first but settled back into her chair and took a moment before answering. "No it's not." She held up a hand to forestall her daughter. "As much as I would like to explain, I doubt you will believe me."

"Try me."

"It's complicated."

"Uncomplicate it."

"It's very complicated."

Yang let out a snarl, her face twisting in anger. "I have a madman in my head, _M_ _om_ , that wears my skin. I have to see a twisted version of myself every time I go there to see him. I swore that I would never let him harm another person for as long as I lived and yet I had to break my promise just to save myself and my friends. There's so much blood on my hands and I can't help but think of the people that's going to be left behind and now because of my actions, there's going to be more and more."

Raven kept quiet, letting her young girl vent and rant. This was good for her. This was the first time she had directly taken the life of another, as far as she seen anyway, and she knew what that did to a person, especially to one unprepared for it. This was one of the reasons why she had convinced Qrow to let her be alone with her, to let her take her anger out on her instead of her family and friends.

Time to take it a bit further.

"Yes you are responsible for all of those deaths." Yang instantly shut up when she started speaking, her eyes widened as she realized what she said. "You were about to die. Your head was on the chopping block. Your sister's. Your teammates. You had with you the means to change the status quo and you did it without hesitation. You took the Grimm on your leash and set it loose."

"There had to have been a better way though. Sukuna…"

"Sukuna did exactly what you told him to do! Don't you dare try to backtrack on it!" Raven shot to her feet, her own face twisted in a snarl. "WE ARE BRANWENS! WE TAKE WHAT WE WANT AND KILL WHOEVER GETS IN OUR WAY!"

Something snapped in Yang.

With a yell, she launched herself off of the bed, letting a foot get purchase on the ground so she could launch herself toward the red eyed woman. Raven stayed still, letting her daughter get closer and closer. Once she was within arms reached, she sprang into action, grabbing her outstretched hand and twisting and pulling her over her shoulder and letting her momentum carry her over and send her flying across the room, crashing into a table and smashing it into pieces.

To her credit and a testament to her lineage, the brawler did not stay on the ground, instantly pushing to her feet, grabbing a nearby chair and tossing it, intending on letting it smash against her and provide the distraction she needed to get her hands on her. However Raven did not spend years with a brawler to be fazed by it. She grabbed the chair en-route and quickly slammed it against Yang as she sought to take advantage the chair was going to give her. Yang however powered through the action and slammed into her but Raven stood her ground, keep her Aura active as Yang took a few shots at her. Unfortunately for her, Tai had taught her how to fight hand to hand, the same kind of fighting style that he taught his daughter so she was able to take and counter Yang's attacks.

"I am not a Branwen!" Came the growl as they found themselves locked. "I'm not a killer!"

"Yes you are!" Raven rushed her aura to her head, just in time for her to smash her forehead into hers, causing the girl's strength to loosen somewhat but it was enough for her to push through and break the deadlock. Raven grabbed the strands of golden hair, and pushed her head down right into the knee shooting up catching her right in the forehead. She did not give any mercy and as Yang stumbled back, she whipped around and her foot caught the blonde in the stomach, sending her flying into the nearby bookcase, books flying out at the impact.

"You have blood on your hands now daughter of mine. Even though you did not kill them yourself, you might as well have." She waited until Yang was back on her feet, their blood eyes meeting each other. "I'll tell you a secret Yang. We ALL have blood on our hands…even Summer and Tai. We were given missions to kill people and it's a job we completed as quickly and ruthlessly as trained killers are." That caused Yang to still herself however Raven shot forward and landed a punch right on the side of her face. She showed no mercy as the brawler crashed into the floor, letting her foot shoot out and catch her on the side, the force of the blow lifting her up slightly off the ground. "This is a world of the strong Yang! The weak die and the strong thrive! You think you can get by in this life with no blood spilled! IT'S KILL OR BE KILLED!" Her foot shot out again and again until finally on the fourth kick did Yang finally regained her senses and caught her foot.

Raven only had time to catch the shimmer of light glowing from her hair before she was pulled down to the ground. Thankfully her head didn't hit the floor when she landed but she did not have the chance to reaction as Yang quickly straddled her and started to deliver punches to her face. "You gods damn bitch!" Her punches were being blocked but she couldn't stop. "YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW THAT? THEY SAT ME DOWN AND TOLD ME POINT BLANK I WOULD HAVE TO KILL!"

She caught Yang's hand and delivered a left hook right into her jaw. Now that Yang's Semblance was active, she had to end this. Raven flared her own Aura, quickly setting a portal below her and another on the nearby wall. As soon as the two portals connected, the both of them fell through and quickly got tossed out on the other end. Raven landed on her feet but Yang tumbled onto the floor. She reached out with her Semblance again and created two more portals, this time one right below Yang and one directly above and she couldn't help but smirk at the screams Yang produced as she fell in a perpetual loop, gaining speed with each traverse. Feeling a bit merciful, she cut the connection and Yang landed with a loud and what sounded like a very painful thud followed by a pitiful groan.

"Look at you Yang." She spoke even as said girl struggled to get up, settling into a loose stance. She could tell that the brawlers body was hurting. "You think you can keep this up? Keep Sukuna on a leash? Kill whomever comes after you? Your friends? Your family?"

"I think I've proven I'm capable of doing that by now."

"Then show me…" Raven adjusted her stance and held out her arm. "Come at me with the intent to kill or I will kill you."

A smirk appeared on her face as the red eyes returned and her hair lit ablaze. Her daughter let out a war cry as she charged, pushing through the pain. She stood still, waiting the seconds as she got closer and closer. Once Yang was within grabbing distance, she sprung into action. Reaching deep within her, she let herself be filled with the foreign power within her, her eyes blazing red as her left hand grabbed the approaching fist and letting her twisting momentum bring her fist right into Yang's face, the Maiden enhanced punch slamming the girl into the ground, abusing the already punished floor. She kept the momentum going, twisting herself down and letting her legs wrap around Yang's neck with the right let crushed against it and letting her left let push down against her right, putting pressure on a vital point while keeping a firm hold on Yang's arm.

As expected, Yang started to struggle in her grip. Her Aura was very close to being broken but Aura did little to protect against pressure like this. She ignored the weak fist punching against her side, keeping her boosted Aura up as she held on, watching Yang's eyes as the chokehold started to take effect. Surely but slowly, her resistance started to die down, her eyes starting to roll back. She counted down the seconds and once she saw what she was waiting for, the black haired woman instantly released her, letting the Maiden powers subside. She pushed herself off, letting her foot push Yang away from her as she herself moved back until her back hit one of the beds.

She watched as Yang started to recover, her own limbs moving back away from her. A chokehold like this took a bit of time to recover and so she waited patiently. "This world is cruel Yang. You need to be strong to survive here." She maintained her calm expression even as Yang glared at her, her hand rubbing her throat. "That being said…I am aware that my views on strength is not for everybody, something my brother had made clear on numerous occasions."

"You…you…" Yang's voice was raspy, struggling to speak. "What happened to you?"

Raven took a deep breath as she propped up her arm on her leg, closing her eyes. That was a question she had asked herself whenever she found herself unable to sleep on a restless night. "I learned a truth Yang, a very horrible truth." She returned her eyes toward her offspring. "I cannot tell you why but I can tell you that Ozpin never gave a shit about us. Not me, not Qrow, not your father and certainly not your mother. All he wants is to end this eon-long war and he doesn't care who he gets killed. That's why I cut my ties with him. I tried to get the others to listen but Summer drunk too much of the hero crap and Qrow is so engrained that he would gladly wear a collar that says "Ozpin's Bitch"." The memories came back of the time. She tried to get them to listen, tried so hard but they would not listen to her.

"Wh…what about Dad?"

"Tai…you were born not a few months before. He was still riding the high of having a child and that stupid grin never left his face. None of them listened. By the time you were one, I made the decision to leave and leave you behind with Tai. I refused to get killed because of senile old fool."

Yang stayed still and silent as Raven told her story. This is what she waited so long for and yet now that she had her answers, or at least some of it, she couldn't say anything. It honestly left her with more questions than anything but what worried her most was that Sukuna has been silent all this time. He had said not a word even when she was getting pummeled into the ground.

"I do not expect your forgiveness Yang. Brothers know I have burned too much to get that."

"Then why tell me?" Her voice was getting better but she needed water. "Why go through all this trouble? You could have left after you found out why your Semblance behaved the way it did. Why…this?"

"Because I do not want you to make the same mistakes I did. If Ozpin finds out about this, he will seek to use you and he will not hesitate to find ways, even use Ruby against you."

"It's just…it's hard to believe that this master manipulator is the same guy that managed to convince Goodwitch to just give us a slap on the wrist for that food fight. That woman was PISSED."

"Glynda is attached to his hip. I have yet to see her disagree with him on anything."

Yang wanted to laugh but the pain in her cheek gave her clear motivation not to. Her hand came up to rub at it. She didn't need her scroll to know her Aura was very low, almost to the point of breaking. Her tussle with the Fang had already brought it down pretty bad and her fight with Raven just now certainly hasn't helped. Speaking of…

"How did you learn to fight like that? I thought you were a swordswoman? And what was with those flaming eyes?"

Said swordswoman smirked. "I was on a team with a hormonal man who decided it was a good idea to teach me how to fight hand to hand if only to be closer to his crush." She snorted when Yang blushed. "And I kept in practice even after I left. I'm not always going to have a sword in hand and it would be a death sentence for anybody who didn't know how to fight bare handed. Something I believe your sister has a problem with yes?" She chuckled when Yang muttered. "As for the eyes…I'm afraid that falls under the 'you won't believe me' category."

Raven stood up even as the blonde let out a muttered curse. She would get over it and if Yang had the determination to learn more, she had a feeling she would be able to find out but it would be her choice on whether or not to go down that rabbit hole. She took a few steps forward and held out a hand toward Yang. The girl herself took a moment to stare at the offending limb but did take it and got pulled up. "I don't want you involved with Ozpin but I know I can't st…"

"Hey Yang, you were taking a while so…" Raven was suddenly interrupted by the sound of the door opening and Ruby's voice coming into the room. The red tipped girl trailed off as she and the others took in the sight of the destroyed room and seeing the held hands between Raven and Yang. "We…brought food. Umm…do I need to call Uncle Qrow?"

There was a moment of silence as everybody tried to process the entire situation.

"N-no, I'm ok." Came the response from the blonde. "Can you guys just give us a few more minutes? You guys can stay outside the room if you want."

Yang wanted until they agreed and shut the door behind them, before she turned back toward her mother. "Assuming I believe all this…what do you expect me to do about this?"

"Just that you look out for you and yours Yang, and stay away from him." Raven smirked and poked Yang's forehead. "You certainly have the strength and power for it." She turned and walked away, headed toward one of the surviving tables and grabbed one of the pens and a notepad and started writing. "If you want to know more, ask your father and Qrow what Ozpin had us do after he recruited us." She tore the paper from its pad and set it aside for Yang and started to collect her bag, her hands palming a couple of items without Yang looking. "If they decide to treat you like a fragile little girl, come find me. I will never lie to you."

Yang picked up the paper and opened it, her eyes widening at the sight of a familiar pattern of a scroll number and a location. "This is…" She looked up as the red eyed woman started walking toward the door but her eyes traveled down as they caught sight of the items Raven now held in her hand. "Hey!"

The woman smirked as she pocketed the _Ninja of Love_ books. "I'm a thief Yang. I take what I want." Raven paused just as she was about to take ahold of the doorknob. "Oh and say hi to Tai when you see him."

"Wait!"

Raven paused as she turned from the door, turning back to her daughter. "Tell me this. Were you bonded with Mom?"

That was a question she was not expecting but in hindsight, it should have been fairly obvious. For a minute, she contemplated saying no, that Summer was never that close to her. "I was. Summer was the strongest person I had ever had the pleasure of knowing."

"Did you know she was in danger?"

"No I didn't." Yang looked like she didn't believe her. "I'm serious. My Semblance can't tell. It relies on their mental state to set it off. All I know is that in one moment, she was fine and the next I felt my link break with her. Nobody knows why. Not even Tai or Qrow. If Ozpin does, that parasite isn't telling."

"Do you blame him for her death?"

"Summer was a fool for getting herself killed, especially when she had two children at home. If she went off glory hunting, I chose the wrong person to call a friend."

Yang fell silent after that, lost in thought. She had so much more she wanted to ask but she could not gather the strength to ask anymore. There was so much to process and to figure out what to do with this information. It felt too much for her.

Raven took her silence as an indication that she was done. She turned and walked toward the door and placed her hand on the knob. "I will tell you this Yang." She spoke, getting the attention of said girl. "You were not unwanted." She turned slightly and looked at Yang at the corner of her eyes, pausing at the sight of her wide eyes. "When you were born and I held you in my arms, I felt something that I never thought I would. I never wanted to let you go."

"Then why did you? Why did you leave me with Dad?"

"Because I wanted a better life for you than I could ever provide." She turned away from her dumbfounded daughter as she opened the door, pausing at the sight of her brother mid reach toward the knob. "Always a pleasure little brother." She did not wait for any response from her sibling, pushing him aside as she made her way down the hallway, her heels clacking against the floor.

Qrow kept an eye on the retreating form of his sister as she departed. When Ruby had called him in a near panic, he had rushed here, expecting the worse. Instead he found a destroyed room and a slightly ragged niece and sister, he was relieved at his fears at seeing Sukuna standing over a disemboweled Raven did not come to pass. Once Raven has turned the corner, the woman giving him a look out of the side of her eye, he turned and entered the room, Ruby and the others having already entered the room and the red-tipped girl already fussing over her sister. He took a moment to look over the room. Two destroyed tables, a cracked floor and a familiar general sight of a chaos he usually attributed to close quarters fighting. When Raven had convinced him to let her speak to Yang, to help her clear her head in a way that 'someone that has gotten soft' would not be able to, he had agreed, partly in the hope that Yang would use Sukuna to keep Raven in her place.

"You alright kiddo? Looks like you had quite a party in here."

"Yeah, mother/daughter bonding you know."

"Did she hurt you?"

"Well she has one hell of a right hook I tell you that." Yang chuckled and rubbed her cheek, wincing at the contact. Her Aura was still pretty low. "We mostly just knocked each around a bit."

"She did this to her own blood? Deplorable woman." Weiss spoke up even as Ruby handed Yang some food.

"I get the feeling she does this to anybody that she cares enough to focus on. Am I right Uncle?"

"Pretty much." Which caused Weiss to do a double take. "She values personal strength over anything else. Anything less then what she considers 'standard' is weak in her eyes and enjoys grinding them into the dirt with her boot"

Yang snorted at that, remembering the chokehold she had put her in and the punch that had driven her into the ground. She remembered seeing the flaming red eyes for only a few seconds and at first she had thought it was a trick of the light but when Raven had confirmed the eyes, her confusion just grew more and more. There was something going on here, what she didn't know, but she would find out if only to ensure she is not caught unaware and not let it bite her and her companions in the ass later on.

Her eyes looked at Qrow even as she downed her water.

He was 'Ozpin's Bitch' as Raven has eloquently put it but it meant that he knew things, things that she could use to protect herself, protect them. Her hand sought out Ruby's and grasped it, seeing her sisters smiling face. She had opened a powder keg letting Sukuna have free reign back there. It was up to her to ensure that they survived the repercussions that was sure to come.

She was not alone anymore.

* * *

_So this came after diving into the world of Jujutsu Kaisen and a particular scene came to mind that would just not leave my head so one day I sat down, opened up Word and just started writing and this is the result. As you might have guessed, this is not written at the beginning that a story would start at. At this time I don't see myself actually writing a full fledged story with this premise in mind but as I was writing this, I got inspired with more scenes involving Yang and Sukuna that I might write depending on the reaction to this._ _This will also be cross posted to FF.net._

_Betas -_ _General Texas and EmperorLuffy_


	2. Aftermath

_**The Demon Within** _

_**Aftermath** _

OoOoOoOoO

 _Buzz buzz_ _buzz buzz_

Taiyang Xiao Long groaned as the buzzing of his scroll stirred him awake. His blue eyes fluttered opened as the device shook on the nightstand before his hands silenced it. Another groan escaped his lips as he saw the caller id and Qrow's smug face on it and another groan when he saw the time. He thumbed the answer button and let out the deepest scowl he could at the man who answered.

"Qrow…do you realize what time it is? It's a school night."

He loved the man like a brother but even that had its limits.

" _Sorry Tai but something's come up."_ Now that got his attention. He sat up and turned on the light, giving the man his full attention. He was supposed to be RWBY's Hunter shadow in Mistral. _"I need you to hightail it to Beacon as soon as you can."_

"Qrow, what's going on? Are the girls alright?"

" _They're fine."_ The blonde narrowed his eyes. _"Physically at least. We're cutting the exchange short and headed back to Beacon."_

"Qrow. What. Happened?"

" _I can't say, not over an open line. Get over to Beacon and stay there. Yang needs to talk to you when we get there. My next call is to Ozpin."_ A sensation not felt for years coursed through Tai, a sensation not felt since his active hunting days. His hairs stood on end even as he locked eyes with the man. However he was the first to break as he took a deep sigh and run his hand through his hair. _"It's a mess Tai, reminds me of that debacle at Haran."_

Tai's mouth clicked shut before he could respond. Haran? That absolute FAILURE of a mission Haran? The one where Raven was down for the count, the rest of them badly injured and narrowly escaping with their lives while being hunted down by very determined slavers in a town loyal to them? THAT Haran?

"I'm on the next flight."

" _Watch your back Tai."_

_Click_

OoOoOoOoO

The hub town of Mirstone was not a large town but it was still a decently sized and well defended town that served as a trading hub near the coast of Mistral. The direct access to the oceans and its close proximity to Vale's lands resulted in a well-traveled and defended trade route. There was a similar route up north to Atlas with a town nestled in the tundra.

And yet, as Yang thought with a loud yawn, she didn't really give a fuck.

The transport that was carrying not only herself but the rest of her team plus one uncle flew in the dead of night as it neared the landing pad. It's been two days since their escape from the White Fang camp and it was decided for them to make a discrete exit from Mistral under the cover of night just in case they tried anything and the transport manifest only listed cargo were goods exported from Mistral.

"Did we have to stow away in the cargo hold?" Yang looked toward a grumpy Weiss. "Surely we could have brought some cushions or something."

"Maybe we could have hired one of those luxury transports." This time Blake spoke up, her nose in one of her books as usual, the low light not a problem for her faunus eyes. "Nothing but the best for the Schnee's."

"Quiet you!"

Weiss glared at her when she snorted, raising her hands in mock surrender when the petite girl shook her fist at her. They were all stressed and with good reason. They had to make a clean exit from Haven and head back to Beacon. There were no news as of yet from Qrow's sources at the White Fang's reactions to the scene she left behind. Qrow had either said that it was possible they didn't know what to make of it. After all, how could four disarmed Huntress-in-training massacre an entire building of Faunus?

The official story was that during their execution, the area was besieged under a large pack of Grimm. When the Grimm assaulted the warehouse, they took that opportunity to get free of their binds and escape. Even the blood on her was the result of her using somebody as a Faunus shield against one or two of the Grimm. It was the story Qrow told Lionheart and it would be the story that they told to Ozpin and she just prayed it held for as long as it could. They would feign ignorance of Adam's death as they hightailed it out of there.

She did not look forward to the day she would have to turn Sukuna loose amongst her fellow man.

Yang rolled her eyes at the pleased rumble within her before turning back to her newly acquired Scroll but not before sparing a glance to her sister who has taken it up on herself to keep Weiss entertained for the remaining time until they landed. Once the excitement of the first day back died down, things had settled into an uneasy peace between the four of them and she couldn't blame them. Watching their friend morph into something that got spat out of Hell and butcher everybody present doesn't quite go away after a good night's sleep. She even caught her Uncle twitch once or twice whenever she spoke to him before he realized she was speaking to him. She didn't expect things to get worse with them, they just need a brief adjustment period. A tapping sound brought her and the others attention toward her uncle.

"We're getting close to Mirstone. Get back in your box and I'll let you know when you're good."

The box that Qrow was referring to was a medium sized container nestled in one of the many stored in the cargo bay. It was the container that they stowed away in when they left Haven while another transport, a personnel one, departed Mistral a few hours later with Atlas being their destination with them being listed on the passenger manifest. Once they get into Mirstone, they'll be able to take a proper transport back to Vale's borders under false names.

The transport ship thudded as it landed on one of the cargo pads and disengaged its ramp which was a signal to the waiting heavy machinery to start unloading the ship. From above the pads, a lone crow watched as the vehicles unloaded everything, watching for a uniquely marked container that held his nieces. He was familiar enough with Mirstone's to know how they handled their storage. He caught sight as one of the trucks pulled out his container, watched as it was driven toward the nearby warehouse and neatly parked in the numerous rows to be further disseminated. It would take some time for the ship to be fully unloaded but all he needed was a couple minutes. As the warehouse started to fill up, he flew the short distance to the building and perched himself up in the rafters near the container. He waited until the trucks disappeared before swooping down, changing back to a human in one quick motion. The metal clanged as he quickly undid the lock and he swung open the doors, giving the girls a grin as Weiss just about ran out of it. "I am never doing that again." She muttered.

"Ah it's not so bad. I've been in much more cramped places then this."

"Never again!"

Qrow rolled his eyes once Blake stepped out and shut and locked the door. The life of a Hunter is a down and dirty one and if she remained, she would definitely get into worse places than this. He motioned to them and he led them to a side door in the warehouse. If his contact came through then there should be a car waiting for them. Once he was through the side door, he let a grin cross his face as he saw the vehicle parked outside. Provided his Semblance doesn't break down the car, they should be in the clear.

"Hey Uncle, maybe I should drive huh?"

Qrow punched his smirking niece in the arm for that. "Cheeky brat." He didn't want to take the risk of getting stopped on the way to the motel so he would drive. He approached the car first and quickly got in, finding the key above the sun visor and turned the car on. Once he was satisfied the car wouldn't blow up on him, he let the girls file into the car and started to make their way to the motel where they would stay for the time being.

OoOoOoOoO

Dawn was peeking out on the horizon by the time they reached the hotel and the early birds were already out and about in the town. Thankfully Qrow's Semblance decided not to act up on the way there so the trip was uneventful, which was a relief in Yang's eyes. The last thing she needed was to be dragged into another mess. The flight to Vale then to Beacon was in a couple hours her Uncle had said, giving her and the others a much needed break. As she settled in one of the chairs, she tuned out Weiss's complaining about standards. She knew there was no meat behind her words and if it made her feel better about the situation then they would put up with it. She could do with some breakfast however.

However, before she could get up, Sukuna spoke up. _**"Yang, let's take a walk."**_ She did not react to his statement but rather quirked an eyebrow at his statement. _**"Ask your uncle where this town's graveyard is and go there. I want to show you something."**_

" _The graveyard? Why?"_ Sukuna didn't give an answer but asked her uncle anyway.

"The graveyard? It's a few streets down, just outside the walls. Why?"

Yang shrugged. "Sukuna wants to show me something and wants me at the graveyard to do it but he has never done this before so I'm curious. We have time before our flight yeah?"

"Getting there is not the problem but still…the graveyard?"

Yang only shrugged.

"Well, I can take you there and I know a discrete path to get there. Would he mind if I tagged along?" She responded in the negative once she got confirmation from Sukuna. "Alright, come on Firecracker. The rest of you hang tight. I have your boarding passes so if we don't get back in time, we'll meet you at the platform."

The motel they were at was located in what you would call a 'cheap and discrete' place that every town had to them. The place where you can rent by the hour or by the day and was popular enough that it was well maintained due to its location as a rest stop to either Vale, Mistral, or Atlas. However it also meant that it was nestled in between the 'rich' area and the 'dirt poor' area. The path that Qrow took her kept them out of sight but it also meant it took them through the outside area of the slums.

More than once they passed by unsavory characters, a couple of druggies and even a prostitute. One guy even had the nerve to ask Qrow much she went for which earned him a nice broken nose before Qrow pulled her away. It took no time at all for them to pass through the ghetto and arrive at the side gate. After a brief nod to the guard who didn't stop them, it was a short travel away before they arrived at the cemetery gates.

"Alright Sukuna, we're here."

Yang felt her guest manifest eyes and a mouth on her cheek, an action which did not go unnoticed by Qrow. The eyes looked around a bit, trying to find something unknown to her. **"Keep walking until I tell you to stop."**

"You're going to tell me what I'm looking for?"

" **Just start walking brat."**

Yang shared a look with her uncle and gave him an eye roll at her guest's manner but complied, the both of them starting to walk between the tombstones of the people who died here and all the while, Sukuna's eyes moved back and forth. A minute or so later Sukuna gave the ok to stop and Yang found herself looking around. Besides the place being creepy, she found nothing abnormal. Her attention turned back to herself when she felt Sukuna withdraw his mouth but not his eyes, presumably to keep their next conversation private.

" _ **Do you remember what I told you some time after we merged?"**_

Yang had to pause at that. There was a lot of things he had told her, most of them were very graphic in what he would do to her, her family, and anybody that she was close to. Most of it involved a very violent and slow death.

" _You'll have to be a bit specific on that. You said a lot of things, most of them pretty violent."_

" _ **I had told you that if you had ever shown any affinity with me, I was going to make your life a living hell."**_

" _What? You're going to make good on your threat?"_

" _ **Take a look…"**_ Yang blinked in confusion as she looked around, seeing nothing. She stood in front of grave number 73 belonging to a man named Wang Ashen. She saw nothing out of the ordinary so she wasn't sure what Sukuna was going with this. _**"Places like this, cemeteries, churches, hospitals, even schools all have one thing in common. What do you think that is?"**_

If Sukuna hadn't said cemeteries, she would have said that they were safe places to go. The four Huntsman academies themselves were named after words that denote places of safe refuge and Atlas was always the strong one, a place to look to for strength. However this is Sukuna she was talking about so there had to be something more to it.

" _ **Despair."**_

And there it was.

" _ **Cemeteries are the resting places of the dead, churches is where the weak congregate to pray away their fear, hospitals where people go to die and even schools have their own kind of fear permeating into them. There are more but you get the gist of it."**_

" _What are you getting at?"_

" _ **Look closely Yang."**_

The blonde still didn't get what Sukuna was getting at but she complied anyway, shifting her attention back to the grave before her. After a few seconds of nothing happening, wondering if Sukuna was pulling her leg, her ears perked up at hearing a warbling sound. She looked around for the source, but nobody was here beside herself and Qrow who waited patiently. She heard the sound again, this time a bit more clearly. She turned back to the grave just in time to see the ground ripple before her before _something_ rose from the ground, producing that same warbling sound. However when it rose enough for her to get a good look at it, she shot back with a cry, tripping over the grave behind her and tripping over it.

Qrow instantly went over to help her, even as she got up herself, her eyes widen in shock as she laid her eyes on the deformity in front of her. "Wha…what the fuck is that?!"

"Firecracker?"

She swerved her head to face her confused uncle. "That!" Her finger jabbed toward Wang Ashen's tombstone and the monstrosity now using it as a perch. It was still producing that warbling sound. "You don't see that?!"

"Kiddo, there's nothing there."

"Bullshit there's nothing there. There's a…"

" _ **He can't see it."**_ Yang's shout was cut short by the demon's interruption. _**"There are conditions that has to be met for people to see cursed spirits."**_

"Cursed spirits? Is that what that is?" Yang let herself go from Qrow's grip and turned her full attention back to what she's seeing. "Doesn't look like any Grimm that I've seen." She winced at the laugh that echoed through her mind. "Not so loud."

" _ **Grimm are not the only things that go bump in the night brat and now thanks to me, you're going to enter a world you wish you stayed ignorant of. The Grimm are drawn to negative emotions however Cursed Spirts are BORN from negative emotions. Any place, any person, hell even an idea that people have negative emotions about can cause a cursed spirit to be born of it. Even concepts that people hold fear to can give birth to a cursed spirit. This guy here probably had people that hated him or had a bad life before he died which caused a spirit to be born here."**_

Yang stayed silent at Sukuna's explanation, still trying to make sense at the impossibility that lies before her. The thing was still making the warbling sound and it was starting to unnerve her. Was this what he meant when he said he was going to make her life a living hell? She ignored Qrow's prompts from beside her, keeping her eye fixed on the cursed spirit in front of her. "Are they dangerous?"

" _ **Depends on what kind you run into. Not everybody that goes into the dark comes back out. What you see now is just a minor spirit however**_ _**depending on the quantity and quality of the cursed energy going into it, you may just get some really bad ones. You felt it before you know…"**_ She was interrupted before she could ask what cursed energy was. _**"When you arrived back at Haven from nearly losing your head and you nearly went berserk."**_ How could she forget? She had destroyed the large table due to her Aura running wild.

" _ **Your fear, your hatred. It grew and grew in you and, to my surprise, I could feel you generate cursed energy for the first time since we merged. Seeing you destroy that table wasn't too shabby either. With practice, I think you can become a decent Shaman."**_

High praise from Sukuna? First her mother and now him? What was the world coming to? But still, she had a lot more questions. "Why am I just now seeing this?" She spoke out loud, long since given up speaking within herself and not caring if Qrow heard. "I had you for months and I've never seen creatures like this before."

" _ **Are you sure about that? Maybe you thought you'd seen something out of the corner of your eye but brushed it off as a trick of the light?**_ " Now that he mentioned it, there were times when she saw movement out of the corner of her eyes sometimes back in Beacon since Sukuna merged with her. She could never tell what it was and it always disappeared when she tried to look but she brushed it off as stress. _**"And as far as to why it's happening now? Well this was the first time I had the chance to really let loose. Maybe the surge in cursed energy is what jarred you loose."**_

"You haven't explained what cursed energy is exactly. The way you're describing it, it sounds like I have to be pissed off to even use it."

" _ **In a way but you certainly don't have any problem with hatred do you?"**_ Yang stilled at that. _**"I know how you fight. You let your anger fuel you but where does that anger come from I wonder?"**_

"You don't know what you're talking about."

" _ **Don't I? I can feel the hatred bubbling in here. Just WHO are you angry at? Raven? It's hard to feel hatred for someone you never met."**_

"Shut up."

" _ **When in fact, I feel this hatred for the one who ran off and left your family a broken mess."**_

"I said SHUT UP! You leave Summer out of this!" She ignored her uncle who reacted at Summer's name suddenly being shouted at. Her eyes turned red as her face turned into a snarl. She could feel herself burning up in her gut, a familiar but foreign sensation starting to form within her.

" _ **For all the praise you give her, it's amazing just how much hatred and resentment for her I feel."**_

"SHE LEFT US!" The words came out before she could stop them, the sensation within her has spread throughout her body, her fists clenched so tightly blood was starting to drip. She could see the cursed spirit look toward her from her outburst. "She left and got herself fucking killed! For WHAT?!" The tears were starting to fall down. "She left us! Dad just shut down AND I HAD TO PICK UP THE FUCKING PIECES! I HAD TO TAKE CARE OF RUBY! I HAD TO PUT HER TO BED, I HAD TO FEED HER! I HAD TO COMFORT HER WHEN SHE WAKES UP CRYING FOR SOMEONE WHO WOULD NEVER COME BACK AND FOR WHAT?! FOR ONE LAST THRILL?! I HATE HER! I FUCKING HATE HER!"

Yang heard the warbling sound again as the cursed spirit quirked its head at her, one of its strange arms reaching out to her. She couldn't think, couldn't breathe. All she saw was red as the memories of the past reared its ugly head once more. It warbled again and something snapped inside her. A blood curling scream tore from her through as she lunged toward the thing in front of her, taking the couple steps forward to close the distance. Her fist reared back and shot forward, letting it smash into the things face.

To her surprise, she felt her fist connect, watching in slow motion as its face caved in but something else happened. From the point of impact, she watched as what looks to be fire spreading from her fist through its face before the entire thing blew up in her face. It exploded with such force that it sent Yang stumbling back in shock and even causing Qrow to take a step back at the sudden burst of wind.

" _ **And there it is. Congratulations Yang, you're now a shaman."**_

Sukuna went silent, leaving Yang to herself and the rampaging emotions inside her. She stood there in shock for a few seconds before looking at her hands, a part of her wondering what just happened. It was a small part however as the emotions that she held within herself for so long came bursting out. Her hands were starting to get wet with the tears that now freely fell. She stumbled back, falling to the ground and her back against another tombstone. The tears came down even harder as she cried and cried.

Qrow, however, quickly recovered from his shock from the unexpected explosion and gathered his niece in his arms, letting the girl cry into his shoulder. He would be lying if he said he felt nothing in response to what she said. Summer's death was a mystery. Nobody knew why she left. She didn't tell anybody where she was going. She said goodbye to Tai and her daughters like she did every time she went on a mission. However the problem was Summer went into semi-retirement when she had Ruby. It wasn't like they were starved for lien either as Summer and Tai both had income coming into the household so why had she left?

But that wasn't his main focus right now. His main focus was the girl in his arms. He held her tight against him, stroking her head as she let it all out. She was right about one thing. The Rose family was in shambles after Summer's funeral. Tai had just shut down when it finally hit him that Summer was gone. He had already lost one wife and now a second one was in the ground. He had done his best, taking extra missions to help with the bills and groceries and being there when he could.

"Why did she have to leave?" Qrow held her tighter when he heard her croak out the words in his shoulder. "Did she hate us?"

"Hey now, she loved you all."

"Then why?"

Qrow didn't answer. He had none to give and he didn't have the heart to form any kind of lie. He didn't know what was going on between her and Sukuna as he was privy to only to one side of it. Not to mention the apparent explosion that occurred not a minute ago that nearly knocked him off his feet. Right now the only thing he could do is hold onto Yang while she cried and cried.

The minutes ticked by and by this time, the sun has crested the horizon and is now bathing the land in its rays. The sounds coming from Qrow's shoulder has quietly died down until none remained but she did not break away yet, preferring to remain there for a bit more. She had no idea if Sukuna meant to do this, to drive her to this point to show her what she was capable of. Maybe it was needed to get her to make that first push or maybe Sukuna was just that cruel.

Eventually Yang did detach herself from her uncle's shoulders, resting against the tombstone behind her. She grasped Qrow's arm when he reached out to her, asking if she was alright. "Yeah, I'm ok." She wasn't really but this wasn't the place to be. "What time is it?

"Almost a half hour till seven."

"We should go then."

"Yang…"

"I'll deal with this later and I'm going to beat the ever living shit out of Sukuna the next time I see him. Right now I just want to go home or at least get on the ship to it." Yang didn't give her uncle a choice as she got up and started on the path back to the city gates. Qrow fell in step with her, staying silent even as she tried to dry her eyes and get rid of the signs of crying. They passed the gate guards and the Branwen put them on the path to the transport hubs.

Eventually Yang stopped in the middle of the path, letting her eyes close even as Qrow stopped beside her. She took a deep breath before speaking. "I said some bad things back there."

"No Yang, you don't have to…"

"But I do." She opened her eyes and turned them to him. "I didn't mean what I said. I don't hate Summer. I just…I just…I just don't understand. Even now, years later, we still don't know anything. We don't even have a body and I know it's a risk that comes with the job and I have nothing but happy memories with Mom. You and Dad did the best that could be done in that situation and we turned out ok. Sukuna's a god damn bastard for riling me up like that but…" She took another deep breath as she remembered the new sensations she felt. "This cursed business, I get the feeling it's going to get worse from here."

"You know you can talk to me about this right?"

"Yeah I know. Raven wants to stay in touch as well. She even gave me her Scroll number."

"Wait what? She gave you her number?"

"Yeah, I was surprised too. I don't know what she wants exactly but I get the feeling she meant every word to me. Just do me a favor, don't tell Ruby or Dad about this."

"My lips are sealed. Come on, let's get going before Ruby sends out a search party."

OoOoOoOoO

Tai must have checked his scroll a few dozen times by now.

He, along with Glynda and Ozpin, were waiting in the waiting room at the transport pads for Beacon's regular bullhead transports. The other students there whispered at why they were there, most likely the outrageous of rumors were flying by now.

His hand twitched toward his pocket again but before it could move, Glynda placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I know you're worried about them. There's been no indication there's been any kind of change of plans and Qrow sent you a picture of them when they landed in Vale right?"

This time Tai did pull out his Scroll, switching to the Photos and pulling up the selfie Qrow sent them. He recognized the background as being the interior of Vale Airport and they were all bunched up to fit in the frame for the picture. The image was sent over thirty minutes ago and now at the end of the day, they most likely hit rush hour trying to get to the air taxi that would take them here.

"Qrow is a capable Huntsman as you are well aware of Tai." This time Ozpin spoke up. "If anything happened, I'm sure he can handle it or get the chance to call for backup."

Tai nodded and replaced his scroll in his pocket. It was just nerves he knew. He had faith in his teammate but still, Qrow mentioned Haran. They never mention Haran to each other except to describe something completely FUBAR as a way of delivering a specific kind of message. A warning of extreme danger and an unseen threat which is why he put in for emergency time off at Signal and hightailed it to Beacon. Tai's scroll pinged and his hang shot to his pocket and quickly pulled it out, thumbing it open to the text he just got.

_We're on our way._

Was the simple message and he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. He showed the message to the others before pocketing it. It wasn't just the Haran message, but it was the fact that Yang needed to talk to him first thing and in person. He had only spoken to Qrow and spoke in code over the past couple of days, trying to stay under the radar. What in the world happened over in Mistral?

"That should be them."

Tai's head shot up at the sentence, instantly homing in the lone Bullhead flying toward them. The craft quickly closed the distance and landed. He, along with the others, waited while it opened its door and the passengers disembarked. His eyes tracked each one as they disembarked until finally he caught a familiar head of black and red hair.

"DAD!" A whoosh of petals followed Ruby's declaration and Tai instantly braced himself for the collision. Once Ruby discovered her Semblance, she had taken great pleasure in using it. Even if the petals themselves disappeared after some time, the impact of her crashing into him was still great and he had learned how to bleed off her momentum when she did smash into him.

Yang however…

Tai oofed as his brawler daughter slammed into him and they all tumbled to the ground in a mess of limbs and laughter. It was a familiar enough sight that it eased his worries so he did the only thing that he could do.

The girls squealed as Tai maneuvered the both of them and pulled them up, the both of them slung over his shoulder. "Gah, put me down old man!"

"Old man huh?"

As Tai wrestled with his daughters, Ozpin couldn't help but chuckle at the interaction. If the situation was as serious as Qrow implied, then moments like these were a blessing. He took a look around, seeing the other students with amused smiles and some even taking pictures. He had no doubt those images would spread like wildfire within the hour. He noticed the remaining remembers of RWBY standing awkwardly off to the side even as Qrow approached them.

"Qrow."

"Oz."

"Should we retire to my office?"

"Yeah, you're not going to like what I have to say. Yang wants to talk to Tai so he'll get his briefing from them."

After a few brief departing words, Qrow and the others departed toward Ozpin's office while the others went with Tai. It didn't take long to reach the tower that held his office and took the elevator up. Once they arrived and settled in, Qrow told his story.

He started with the mission that they were given. A simple Grimm hunt taking place over several days. It was meant to serve as a test on their wilderness survival and resource management away from supplies. The Huntsman assigned was a veteran Huntsman with many missions and scars under his belt who was willing to take them. The mission went fine for the first few days, slaughtering many a Grimm and testing them on wilderness food prep and survival.

The end of the third night is when it all went belly up. Qrow recounted the reports of the sudden assault from the White Fang lead by none other than Adam Taurus himself. After a brief fight, Corvo was slain and the girls were taken hostage to be later slated for execution. The reason being was that Adam wanted his former partner to suffer before killing her himself.

He described Yang's testimony, that she was dragged out and placed on the executioner's block however while Adam was riling up the crowd, it appears that the location came under assault from Grimm. Most likely because of the fever pitch Adam put them all in, and because they had an added bonus on bagging a Schnee.

"Did you see any of this yourself Qrow?"

"Only the aftermath after they managed to escape in the confusion. They managed to make their way to the impromptu landing pad they made out of the abandoned town. From there, Blake hijacked one of the airships and made their way back to Haven. By the time I managed to get there to recon, they had all pulled out and torched the place."

He left out the part where he set most of the fires to try and cover their tracks. For that task he had recruited his sister. They had found and burned every place that looked important, even the warehouse where his niece almost lost her head. He could still remember the bloodbath he found at Sukuna's hands. The Grimm that actually did show up should help his case if anybody goes snooping.

He was still a little perturbed that Raven had agreed so easily and without asking anything in return.

"Do we know if Taurus is still alive?" Glynda asked.

"I didn't see his body there and Taurus is skilled enough that Grimm don't give him much of a problem. Where he is now I don't know."

"Probably off licking his wounds. Losing a forward base like that must have set him back. Still though, out of all times for a Grimm ambush to happen…" There was a look in Glynda's eyes that told him he had to be careful around her. She didn't deal with years of student's bullshit without learning how to weed out truth from fiction.

Qrow only shrugged. "Shit happens. Believe me, I should know. Right now I'm just glad they managed to find their way home. I'm just worried that Adam is going to try again for them. I already got feelers out to see what the White Fang knows. With any luck, if Adam is still alive, Sienna will reign him in after the loss of so many people."

"At least James will be happy that Adam may be out of the picture for a while. Brothers know how he and Winter are going to react when I tell him what happened."

"Bet you Winter is going to demand she come down here and make sure her little sis is ok." Qrow let out a laugh even as Ozpin and Glynda shook their heads in amusement. "One more thing Oz, their weapons and supplies are gone."

"Say no more Qrow, you know we have funds set aside for situations like this. Use it as they need."

After a few more minutes of idle talk, Qrow said his goodbyes to the duo, headed back to the elevator and went down. As he traveled down, he closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. He had never lied to Ozpin before and yet, for his niece's safety, he would. The conversation Raven had with her blood must have had some hold with Yang as sometimes he would catch a bit of Raven in her words. The elevator dinged as it reached the ground floor and as he stepped out, he pulled out his Scroll that he had in his chest pocket and thumbed the button revealing a smug looking Raven.

" _That went well. You're a good liar little brother but even I am surprised you managed to keep a straight face in front of them."_

"I had motivation."

" _You got your motivation when I helped you raze that place to the ground and saw what he did. Keeping him a secret from Ozpin and Salem is the best thing we can do for her."_

"For as long as we can anyway. Sukuna is teaching her something. I don't know what but he's putting her through hell for it."

Raven frowned at that. She was not pleased when she had learned of it but there was little they could do about it except be there for Yang until they find out more. _"She's as stubborn as her father."_

"And her mother."

" _Yes she is."_ He had a feeling he wasn't meant to hear that judging by the scowl that quickly replaced the pride she wore on her face. _"Keep me updated if anything happens."_

"Love you too Rae."

The screen went black after his sister flipped him the bird. He afforded himself a chuckle before it turned into a slight frown. This was a dangerous game they were playing but then again, they played the dangerous game for a long time now.

Next order of business is to check on Tai.

OoOoOoOoO

Tai was in shock.

No, he was beyond shocked. Stupefied maybe? Dumbstruck? He had expected the worse ever since that first initial call from Qrow but this takes the cake. He held his head in his hands as he struggled to process this information even as Yang sat across from him. It started simple enough. The start of the mission, brief summaries of the missions and highlights. Then came the assault on the camp and being held captive. That he could deal with, he's been in worse situations than that.

Then came the topic about Sukuna.

That's when his speech centers just shut down on him. He sat there listening, not a peep out of him. He listened as she described her first meeting with him, the kind of person he is, what he looks like. His mouth dropped open when she described the extra limbs. Then came the part where she gave him free reign to save their lives. It wasn't the brutality that worried him, no he was used to that, it was the calm in which his daughter spoke of it. Fighting against the brutality of the Grimm was one thing but these were flesh and blood and if what Yang said held true, she had a front row seat to the massacre. He held his tongue, however, since that's what she asked of him, not wanting to be interrupted.

He listened as she recounted him leading them out of the complex, leading them to a ship that her partner went to pilot. Then came their face to face meeting and the pact that they made, that he would defend her precious people in exchange for coming out whenever he wanted. He wanted to know more about that deal but she continued on, describing the meeting with Qrow. Then came something he thought would never top what she had told him so far.

Raven fucking Branwen had returned.

And it wasn't a stop and leave, she showed up and stayed, talked with her, had moments with her, even had fisticuffs with her. He did take slight joy in the fact that Sukuna had brought the woman to her knees, if only for karma for the bitch leaving. However his fists clenched when Yang seemed to have barely anything negative toward her. What was Raven thinking trying to force herself back into their lives? What right did she have?

"Dad?"

It was no secret to anybody to know them that Raven was an extremely sore subject and he would prefer nothing more than to cut the damn woman out of her life completely. Sure there were plenty of good memories with her but they soured the instant Raven cut them out of her life. As far as he was concerned, Raven was only a surrogate to Yang and Summer was her mother.

"DAD!" The man himself shook out of it when Yang shouted, bringing his attention back to her. "Are you ok? I know it's a lot to take in."

"Yeah, I'm…I'm…" He couldn't finish his thoughts, can't even lie. It was a LOT to take in. "Are you ok though?"

Yang smiled and reached out, the both of them joining hands in an attempt of reassuring the other. "That's still up in the air honestly. I had him for half a year and it's only within the last few days I learned more about him but one thing I'm sure of now is that Sukuna…he's evil. I don't think there's a nice bone in his body and I don't think he's even Human or Faunus."

"What makes you say that?"

"Something he told me recently. He didn't say it outright but there was something about the way he described Curses."

Within his Domain, Sukuna smiled. Clever girl.

"Curses?"

"Oh right, I don't think I got that far but honestly I'm still trying to figure it out myself." She shook her head. "But that's for another time. The reason why I wanted to talk to you first is that I don't want anybody knowing about this if I can avoid it. Not even the Headmaster. Uncle's up there now telling him a story we put together for this."

"Why? I'm sure Ozpin can help."

Yang shook her head again. "I don't think there's anything he can do for me. Sukuna…you don't know him Dad. I need to keep him as hidden as I can. It's bad enough I had to let him out as I did and one of these days, it's going to come back to bite me in the ass. I just don't want you or Ruby or anybody else getting caught in the crossfire."

"That's why Qrow called didn't he?"

"Yeah. I don't know if the White Fang is going to know who killed them all or if they're going to narrow it to me."

Now it all makes sense. The mention of Haran, Qrow's insistence on going to one of the safest places in Vale. They were worried about retribution.

"And Raven?"

Tai narrowed his eyes at his daughter's twitch. "She…mom wants to help." An eyebrow quirked up. _Mom?_ "I know you don't have that great of an opinion of her but…"

"But nothing Yang. She hurt you, she hurt all of us by leaving."

"I KNOW THAT!" Yang quickly settled down from her outburst. "I know that." She tried again. "But I can't do this alone but it's hard for me to trust anybody with this. I feel like I'm losing my mind Dad. I'm trapped in the pact we made. I can't keep him in now. I HAVE to let him out if I can't find a good reason. I'm…I'm too scared on what will happen to me if I don't." She rubbed her arm, feeling the phantom pains of when the pact was established. She thought she tried to close the loopholes as best as she could but there were still too many unknowns. "I'm still freaked out by the fact that mom and uncle can turn into birds."

Tai froze. How did that come out?

"Mom seems genuine in wanting to help me. She even gave me her scroll number and where her camp was."

He blinked. Now that was surprising. Raven had went that far?

There was a knock on the door before he could say anything. There was a muffled _'it's me'_ from a very familiar voice. He looked toward Yang who gave a nod and gave the ok to come in. A very tired Qrow came in and shut the door behind him. "How's my two favorite blonde's?"

"We're your only blondes Uncle."

"Oh I don't know about that. There was this maid I used to shack up with in…"

"Qrow!" The man let out a laugh as Tai shouted, giving him a pat on the shoulder as he sat down. "When are you going to settle down with someone?"

"When I'm dead Tai…when I'm dead."

Yang rolled her eyes at her Uncle's antics. "How did your meeting go?"

"Well." The man gave her a slight nod. "There's probably going to be follow up questions later on down the road but nothing you can't handle." Good, so they bought the story. Hopefully it should hold up long enough for them to figure out what to do. "I do have good news. I got the funds for getting your weapons rebuilt and your supplies restocked."

"I'm going to need a new wardrobe." She muttered at that. If Sukuna was going to make it a habit of coming out all the time, then she needed shirts that can handle her spontaneous limb growth. Not to mention every time he came out, he always rips her shirts and leaves the top barely covering her chest. Likes feeling the light on his skin he had said. Finding Huntsman tailors was easy enough, it was the questions that were bound to follow when she asks to make holes big enough for the limbs. She was going to have to rethink her entire design choice. Maybe she could get some advice from Coco about that and she knew it was going to be expensive as all hell.

But at least she was home now and had gained a few new allies.

* * *

_Short chapter but I wanted to write out the aftermath and setup some potential future chapters with specific events in mind. As I mentioned, it won't be a full story but there are ideas floating around that I just want to write. As always read/review!_

_Beta - General_Texas_


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